BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – QUESTIONS from electricity consumers across St. Kitts concerning the unscheduled power outages that occurred over the past several days have finally been answered, as the St. Kitts Electricity Department issued a press release explaining the causes.
The power supply in various communities was interrupted without notice late Saturday morning (Sept. 19) and was restored later that day without any explanation. Similar situations occurred on Monday (Sept. 21) and Tuesday (Sept. 22) afternoon.
The Department’s release, issued yesterday (Sept. 23), informed that an irregularity in the lubrication system of the 8MB430 protection caused the engine to shut down at 11:25 a.m. on Saturday. That led to the activation of the load-shedding panel at the Needsmust Power Station.
Consequently, every feeder on the island was affected, with the exception of those in the Southeast Peninsula. Electricity was restored approximately two hours later.
The release further identified problems with the 24-volt supply of the generators as the reason behind Monday and Tuesday’s outages. These difficulties resulted in the closure of the Aggreko containers, which subsequently opened the Bayfords, Canada and Sandy Point feeders.
In both instances, electricity was restored less than four hours later.
Since an early morning fire at the Needsmust Power Station on October 2, 2008, the local electricity supply has been sketchy. The fire caused the plant to lose its two largest engines and a system of load-shedding was subsequently instituted.
In December 2008, the government began a six-month rental of generators from Aggreko International Projects Ltd. Speaking exclusively to SKNVibes, Minister of Public Works Dr. Earl Asim Martin confirmed that the generators were still being rented, but revealed they may not be needed for much longer.
“We are in the process of installing new generators at the Power Plant. After the installation is complete, we will evaluate whether or not the rental of the Aggreko generators should continue,” said Martin.
He appealed for frustrated electricity consumers to show patience in the face of unscheduled electricity interruptions.
“It takes about a year to manufacture one generator. I am appealing to the public for their patience and understanding as the government moves forward in trying to professionalise the Electricity Department.”
Added Martin: “The electricity situation is much better than it was before. The government has invested large sums of money to ensure a better quality supply of electricity.”
