WILLEMSTAD – Redeveloping the former Isla refinery should not be viewed solely as a question of what Curaçao should do with an abandoned industrial property. A TU Delft study argues that the enormous centrally located area could instead be used to address some of the island’s broader economic and social vulnerabilities.
The study identifies four major challenges that could influence Curaçao’s future: climate change, brain drain, heavy dependence on imports and the effects of rapid tourism growth.
Researcher Annika van der Nat argues that Isla is large enough for its redevelopment to contribute to solutions in all four areas.
One of the most striking issues examined in the study is Curaçao’s dependence on imported products.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining together accounted for just ANG 17.8 million, or approximately 0.33 percent of Curaçao’s gross domestic product in 2024, according to figures cited in the thesis.
The study also states that locally produced agricultural products represent only about 11 percent of agricultural consumption on the local market.
Another comparison based on CBS figures showed a 1-to-12 ratio between exported and imported goods in 2021, illustrating what the researcher describes as Curaçao’s high dependence on imports to sustain both residents and the tourism industry.
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the vulnerability created by that model. Disruptions to international supply chains and subsequent increases in food and energy prices exposed the risks of relying heavily on goods produced elsewhere.
Van der Nat therefore proposes reserving areas of the former refinery for local resource production.
The possibilities examined include solar energy, hydrogen storage, high-tech agriculture and indoor fish farming. Research into new production techniques could simultaneously take place in an innovation district established on the property.
Brain drain is another challenge.
Instead of viewing the departure of young Curaçaoans solely as a labor-market problem, the report proposes using Isla to create reasons for students and professionals to remain on the island or return after studying abroad.
The proposed education and innovation district could bring together educational institutions and private businesses, while providing traineeships, startup facilities, research opportunities and stronger links between education and Curaçao’s labor market.
The thesis concludes that redevelopment could “attract young talent to Curaçao” while giving local students opportunities for education, employment and housing.
Housing is also incorporated into the vision.
The researcher links tourism growth and foreign investment to pressure on Curaçao’s real-estate market and argues that redevelopment should include affordable housing specifically aimed at local residents.
The report also raises concerns about the commercialization and privatization of beaches, arguing that public spaces traditionally used by Curaçao residents have increasingly become inaccessible. It calls for a better balance between tourism-driven economic development and the interests of the local population.
Climate resilience forms the fourth element.
Because Isla occupies a large and centrally located area around the Schottegat, the study argues that redevelopment could create green spaces and ecological corridors while providing a more climate-resilient environment for surrounding communities.
Taken together, these issues lead to one of the central arguments of the research: cleaning Isla should not simply be seen as an environmental expense.
The property could become a strategic development area capable of producing energy, food and employment while providing housing, education, recreation and improved transportation.
The thesis identifies several obstacles, however. Among them are an outdated spatial planning framework, Curaçao’s heavy dependence on cars, insufficient pedestrian and public transportation infrastructure, the physical barrier created by Schottegatweg and incomplete publicly accessible information about refinery contamination.
Van der Nat’s proposal is an academic vision rather than an adopted plan by the Curaçao government or 2Bays. But its central conclusion challenges Curaçao to look beyond the question of whether the refinery itself can restart.
Instead, the study asks what the roughly century-old industrial heart of Willemstad could become if Curaçao uses its redevelopment to address problems facing the entire island.