PHILIPSBURG – A major power outage swept across St. Maarten today, September 18, 2024, leaving the entire island without electricity for several hours. The blackout, which occurred around 4:30 AM, affected operations at the hospital, airport and police, along with businesses, schools, and residents, causing widespread disruption. Utility company NV GEBE is currently investigating the cause of the outage but during the Council of Ministers press conference, Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs said that initial assessments indicated that it was not a mechanical issue with the engines or newly purchased containerized generators.
The outage caused significant challenges for essential services, with reports of interrupted water supply and communication systems such as 911 emergency services. Many residents turned to social media to express their frustration, while some businesses relied on backup generators to keep operations running.
In a brief statement on its Facebook page, GEBE said, “Our technicians are diligently working to bring engines 14 and 15 online in building 4. Gradually, cables are being restored. The Hospital, School districts and other priority areas have been restored. ”
This was followed by another notice a few hours later of load shedding being implemented.
“Several areas will be affected for a period of 1 to 2 hours,” GEBE said.
As of late afternoon, power had been restored in some parts of the island, but full restoration is expected to take several more hours. GEBE has promised further updates and has encouraged residents to stay informed through official channels.
This is the second major outage to hit St. Maarten this year; the first was in June 2024, raising concerns about the reliability of the island’s power grid. Local businesses and residents are calling for long-term solutions to improve the island’s energy infrastructure and escape their daily load shedding woes.
In response to ongoing load shedding issues, seven containerized engines with a total capacity of 10 MW arrived in Sint Maarten on July 15. At the time, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina expressed optimism, noting that the arrival of the generators marked a hopeful step forward. On August 13, NV GEBE commissioned these generators, adding 10 MW to the island’s power grid.
Additionally, NV GEBE announced on September 12 that a 20 MW rent-to-own containerized power plant is scheduled to arrive in October, promising a significant boost to Sint Maarten’s energy capacity.
Coincidentally, the Prime Minister returned to Parliament today to answer questions that were posed in a Central Committee meeting of August 30 on the island’s energy crisis.
He reiterated that NV GEBE will not be passing on these costs to consumers.
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