WILLEMSTAD — Some of the Aggreko-generators were disconnected from the electricity grid of Aqualectra yesterday. The utility company is returning half of the emergency power units. These will probably be shipped to the supplier this week.

Aqualectra rents the Aggreko’s, which costs the utility company 53 million guilders in total per year, including the diesel needed to generate power. The rental contract for 22 generators was terminated recently, which leaves the utility company with 22 emergency power units. According to Premier Gerrit Schotte, who is also entrusted with energy matters, Aqualectra does not need the capacity of 22 MW. The utility company has made up the overdue maintenance of their installations, which means on average they generate 85 percent of their capacity, with the installations only operating at 70 percent, said Werner Wiels, member of the Board of Commissioners. With the partial cancellation of the rental contract, Aqualectra can now invest in the overdue maintenance of the own installations.

Aqualectra’s trial runs without the generators the past four months had gone well. According to Wiels, there are fewer power failures compared to the same period last year. “We had three power failures the past month of which the last one on December 31^st caused by the BOO energy plant”, said Wiels.