PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Angel Meyers wants utilities company GEBE to move towards renewable energy.
He stated during the live Council of Minister’s press briefing that the company had been talking about renewable energy for years, but nothing had come of it. He wants GEBE management and Supervisory Board to come up with a policy proposal by August 15.
“There has been enough time talking about solar panels and how we want to change to a new policy, but nothing concrete came out of it. Poor planning is the reason we are experiencing the blackouts. The life span of these generators is 25 years. Out of the 19 engines in service, 50 per cent are older than 25 years. That is where the maintenance and load-shedding comes in,” said Meyers.
He proposes that the new parking lots in Philipsburg be equipped with solar panels on their rooftops to eventually provide enough electricity to power the country’s capital.
“I think it’s unacceptable that in the middle of the day there is no power in Philipsburg. We are a tourist island,” said Meyers.
He looks forward to hearing from GEBE and commended the workers for their continued hard work.
