There may soon be an ease for the residents of Jost Van Dyke who have endured frequent and sometimes prolonged periods without power while local officials work to resolve a fault in the undersea cable that provides electricity to the island.
JANUARY 18TH OUTAGE: NEW SCHOOL IN THE DARK
284 Media recently visited JVD for the opening ceremony of the Jost Van Dyke Primary School. Shortly after disembarking the ferry, the team learned from residents that the island was once again facing a power outage. Residents expressed their frustrations about the inconvenience, loss of goods, and productivity interruptions caused by the outage, but they were reluctant to voice these concerns on camera.
While the hum of generators could be heard emanating from various homes and businesses, the team found the newly built multipurpose facility housing the Jost Van Dyke Primary School in darkness. They were later informed that the morning ceremony at the facility had been postponed to later in the day due to the power outage.
Making the most of the daylight streaming into their new home, the students and teachers persevered in their studies.
However, the preschool, located in an interior room without outdoor reaching windows, was completely dark, and its students were displaced.
District Representative Melvin M Turnbull, who spent most of the day on the island, reflected on the situation during his remarks at the opening ceremony in the afternoon, acknowledging the ongoing efforts to resolve the power outage issue.
THE SITUATION AT HAND
Official confirmation of a fault in the JVD undersea power cable came in September 2023. Between September 18th, 2023, and January 18th, 2024, 284 Media received 13 confirmed reports of power outages in JVD.
Dr. Neil Smith, the General Manager of BVIEC, reflected on the prevailing situation during an interview with 284 Media in December 2023, stating that materials had already been secured to resolve the issue.
Chaswell Varlack, Generation Engineer for BVIEC, informed 284 Media that some of the outages experienced were routine shutdowns of the system, allowing BVIEC to conduct necessary maintenance on the generator currently powering the island.
Operations Manager Ottley Rymer provided additional insight into the prevailing situation.
