Energynautics presents preliminary findings at Sint Maarten, supporting GEBE with current power system challenges and 10-year planning.

Supporting Sint Maarten’s Utility: Addressing Current Challenges and Future Planning

In the wake of Hurricane Irma’s devastating impact on the Caribbean in 2017, the constituent country of Sint Maarten’s island power system has been grappling with significant challenges. These include an aging fossil-fuel-based generation fleet, capacity shortages during peak times, and fluctuating and increasing demand due to tourism. These issues are compounded by the island’s susceptibility to hurricanes, necessitating robust reliability considerations in power system planning.

In response to these challenges, stakeholders are motivated to transition towards more reliable, resilient, affordable, and cleaner energy generation. The “Emergency Recovery Project – Phase 1,” implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and managed by the World Bank, aims to address these urgent generation and transmission issues and devise a 10-year power system plan. Energynautics is assisting the utility Gemeenschappelijk Elektriciteitsbedrijf Bovenwindse Eilanden (GEBE) in identifying and recommending solutions within this framework, including the development of a least-cost power development plan that incorporates renewable energy technologies. GEBE’s efforts are crucial in driving the island’s recovery and future planning, and the utility is essential in executing the solutions.

As part of this project, an intermediate onsite mission was conducted in April to discuss preliminary results with GEBE and gather further insights from various stakeholders, including ministries, major consumers, and photovoltaic (PV) installers. The project is ongoing, with final results expected by July 2024.


Rooftop PV system of a large hotel


GEBE’s power plant