PHILIPSBURG--Households and businesses in the country were subjected to power outages as part of load shedding implemented by utilities company GEBE late Friday due to a shortage of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) in the country.
GEBE media relations officer Paula Gordon said in a brief statement to the media that “due to circumstances external to GEBE and to St Maarten, the public may experience temporary power outages today (Friday).
“Reasons outside of our control have affected the supply of HFO to the Caribbean. NV GEBE continues to collaborate with its supplier to ensure that customers can experience the best possible service going forward,” Gordon said.
She said external factors might temporarily impact the electrical supply in St. Maarten. She said GEBE will provide constant updates on any power outages and apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.
The first set of areas to have been interrupted on Friday afternoon for one hour were parts of Saunders and parts of Cay Hill, followed by Dutch Quarter and other areas. It is understood that the HFO possibly comes from Trinidad.
