PHILIPSBURG--Districts across St. Maarten were hit by a series of power outages on Thursday, some lasting for several hours to the frustration of residents and visitors. Utilities company GEBE said the “temporary” cuts were caused by “unforeseen technical connectivity issues”.
The lengthy disruptions of electricity pushed persons to vent their disappointment on social media, with some describing power being lost again only minutes after being restored.
Someone who works in Point Blanche told this newspaper that there were a total of three power cuts at their workplace over the course of Thursday afternoon, while some residents of Cole Bay reported electricity being off for about four hours around that time.
“During a scheduled assessment of the interface server base system, conducted by overseas technicians from the engine manufacturer, unforeseen technical connectivity issues arose,” said GEBE in a press statement on Thursday afternoon, which was also placed on the company’s Facebook page. “While the overseas technician was addressing the issue, it led to the automatic halting of several production units within the power plant leading to power outages in several areas.”
GEBE apologised for the inconvenience caused to its customers, as well as for disruptions to daily activities.
“Our team is diligently working to restore full functionality to our power generation systems and minimise any further impact on our community’s power supply,” said GEBE. “We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers and assure them that we are making every effort to expedite the resolution process.”
Earlier this month, residents were faced with a spate of frequent and long-lasting power outages over the course of three days. GEBE said at the time that the cuts were caused by “unforeseen technical issues” at the Dutch-side’s only power plant in Cay Bay.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/lengthy-power-outages-frustrate-local-residents
