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September 27, 2023

St. Kitts and Nevis grapple with a relentless wave of power outages, and Mr. Clement Jomo Williams, the General Manager of The St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited (SKELEC), has stepped forward to shed light on the pressing issue. In an exclusive appearance on SKELEC’s Power Talk show, hosted by Corporate Communications Manager Ms. Patrice Harris on ZIZ Radio, Williams unveiled the multifaceted reasons behind the frequent disruptions.

“Reduced capacity has been a significant factor in the recent surge of outages. On a daily basis, SKELEC is just managing to meet the demand. Yesterday, two critical generator failures necessitated a marathon effort by our team, working tirelessly into the early hours to restore power. Adding to the strain, a vehicular accident this morning led to further load reduction after impacting a pole and transmission line,” Williams disclosed.

The Caribbean islands, including St. Kitts and Nevis, have been grappling with excessive heat advisories. Williams addressed the impact of scorching temperatures on the SKELEC generators, stating, “On extremely hot days, maintaining efficient generator operation becomes increasingly challenging. To prevent overheating and potential damage, we may need to curtail their capacity.”

In response to the crisis, SKELEC has implemented a strategic load-shedding schedule across various areas. Residents experiencing prolonged outages post-scheduled blackouts are urged to promptly report issues by dialing 465-2013 or using the mobile hotline at 600. The company is actively working to address the challenges posed by the surging demand and extreme weather conditions to ensure a reliable power supply for the community.