WILLEMSTAD – Aqualectra was able to restore electricity to all customers by 6:40 p.m. Tuesday and did not have to continue its rotating power cuts, but the utility warned that Curaçao’s electricity supply remains fragile and that further load shedding could still become necessary.
The announcement came after another difficult day for the island’s electricity system, during which Aqualectra had to disconnect different neighborhoods from the grid to keep electricity production and demand in balance.
According to the utility, conditions had improved sufficiently by early Tuesday evening for all affected customers to have their electricity restored.
Aqualectra said it expected the balance between electricity generation and demand to remain manageable during the night, allowing customers to get through the evening without additional interruptions.
However, the company stopped short of guaranteeing that there would be no further outages.
“Considering the delicate situation with our electricity supply these days, things can always change, and the possibility remains that we may still have to implement load shedding later,” Aqualectra said.
The utility said that if rotating outages become necessary again, individual customers could be without electricity for a maximum of three hours during each load-shedding period.
Curaçao’s electricity system has been under considerable pressure because several conventional generating units are currently unavailable, while low wind conditions have reduced electricity production from the island’s wind farms.
Aqualectra previously disclosed that four generating units are out of service because of technical problems. During particularly hot days, electricity demand on Curaçao can reach approximately 140 megawatts. With the four units unavailable, the company said its conventional generating capacity had fallen to around 100 MW, making the system considerably more dependent on wind generation and battery storage.
The situation has resulted in rotating outages in several neighborhoods in recent days.
Aqualectra is now also asking households and businesses to help reduce pressure on the grid, particularly during periods when electricity demand is high. Customers are being encouraged to switch off unnecessary lights and unplug electrical appliances that are not being used.
Reducing consumption, the company said, can help maintain a more stable balance between available generation and electricity demand.
Aqualectra said its technical teams will continue monitoring the system closely and will communicate any changes through its social media channels.
Although Tuesday evening brought relief for customers, the company's warning indicates that Curaçao has not yet moved beyond the immediate risk of additional load shedding. The stability of the system remains dependent on available generating capacity, electricity demand and renewable-energy production.