Kralendijk, September 12, 2024 – Employees of Water and Energy Company Bonaire (WEB) worked through the night to restore the island’s electricity supply. As announced during the press conference on September 11, 2024, the team was working to locate the cause of the problem. With the help of specialized measuring equipment, the location of the issue was identified. The problem was caused by damage to the cable connection on Kaya Korona, near Garage Cordia.
Repair work
During the night of September 11 to 12, at 01:00 AM, the repairs began. The work to fully restore power to Bonaire continued through the early morning hours and was completed early in the day. By 06:00 AM, the issue was fully resolved, and the switching schedule was no longer necessary.
Cause investigation
The exact cause of the cable damage is still unknown and could have been caused by various factors. The damaged section of the cable has been sent for forensic investigation by an independent agency. At the moment, the situation is under control and stable.
Prevention and improvements
WEB takes its responsibility as the utility company seriously to ensure a reliable electricity supply on the island. WEB is aware of its crucial role in the daily lives of all Bonaire’s residents and businesses. For this reason, WEB continues to invest in infrastructure, technology, and the training of its employees to prevent future issues and resolve current ones.
wWEB Bonaire had already purchased equipment capable of detecting cable damage early. This equipment was scheduled to be installed as part of the renewal of the WEB Nobo network. As mentioned during the press conference, the installation of a new transformer and high-voltage switchgear at SCADA, which WEB has been working on for the past three years, is expected to be completed in January 2025. At the same time, the new measuring equipment will be installed.
In addition, WEB conducted a large-scale scan of the water and electricity network over the past year using digital photography. These scans help detect abnormalities in components, enabling proactive maintenance.
Network expansion
Due to the island’s growth, a larger part of the network will be installed underground. This also brings adjustments in measuring equipment. WEB plans to purchase a special truck to perform measurements on the network. At the same time, WEB will continue to train its employees through the WEB Academy, which helps them expand their knowledge and skills.
Appreciation and response to speculation
WEB is aware of the many speculations circulating on social media. WEB wants to clarify that if there had been any prior signs of problems in the network, appropriate measures would have been taken.
WEB thanks all employees who worked hard to restore electricity to Bonaire as quickly as possible. Additionally, the organization expresses its appreciation to everyone who heeded the management’s request to treat the employees with respect. Once again, WEB offers its sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by this outage.
