Earthquake and Electrical Shortage

So yesterday we learned of some very interesting news. See the excerpt below from St. Kitt's local newspaper.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-PERSONS throughout St. Kitts-Nevis were surprised this afternoon as a mild earthquake caused the ground to rumble for a brief period.

Initial reports reaching SKNVibes indicate that tremors were felt for 10-20 seconds in downtown Basseterre, St. Peters and other areas throughout St. Kitts around 12:30 p.m.

These reports were shortly thereafter confirmed by the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre located in Trinidad.

According to that institution, the earthquake occurred east of St. Bartholomew at 12:28 p.m., with the epicenter located at 17.94°N, 62.55°W.

The seismological event was recorded as a 4.1 on the Richter scale, and reportedly occurred at a depth of three kilometers.

Tremors were reportedly felt in St. Kitts, Sint Maarten and Anguilla, but no reports of damage have surfaced as of yet in those or any other territories.

The Seismic Research Centre advised the public that “these results are preliminary and may vary slightly when additional data is processed”.

~Eric and I did not feel the tremors...he was on campus, and I was at a friend's house in Frigate Bay. I have heard that a few Ross Students did feel the mild tremors. (Max, we're not in Texas anymore!)

We also stumbled upon this interesting tidbit of news...(which does not affect Eric and I firsthand, just yet, because we live on campus...and the campus is equipped we generators that kick in once the electricity goes out).

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-OCTOBER has proved to be an unlucky month for electricity generation in St. Kitts, as it has once again been announced that the island will be entering a load shedding period due to engine repairs at the Needsmust Power Station.

The announcement was made via a press release sent from the Electricity Department yesterday (Oct. 4), which stated that engine KV12 #1 “developed a problem which resulted in the need for extensive maintenance which could last in excess of one month”.

Because of the “extensive maintenance”, the department stated that the island would once again have to return to a load shedding schedule, as the engine coming offline would dip the supply below the 24.5 megawatts needed during peak demand hours.

The announcement was made just days after the one-year anniversary of a fire at the Needsmust Power Station that extensively damaged two Mirrlees MB 430-series generators.

Following the damage to the generators last year, St. Kitts was placed on a month long load shedding schedule.

According to yesterday’s release from the Electricity Department, the new load shedding schedule is expected to last around one month as well until “the process of installing and commissioning a new MAN 4.0MW Holeby engine”, which was brought into the Federation last week, can be completed.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays the areas from Taylors Range to Bayfords and Palmetto Point to Gibbon Hill, Dieppe Bay will be without power from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Then from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the areas of Canada Estate to Dieppe Bay and Bird Rock will be taken off of the grid.

In the afternoons on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Buckley’s Estate to Palmetto Point and the northern section of Frigate Bay, including Half Moon Bay, will be without power. Then from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Malone Avenue to Buckley’s Estate and the southwestern portion of Frigate Bay, including Horizon Villa and Calypso Bay, will be without electricity.

The release further states that on Tuesdays and Thursdays all “business generators” will be shut down from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Electricity Department indicated that the new load shedding schedule would be for shorter durations than the same period in 2008, as it “expects that no area will be without electricity for more than three hours at a time”.

A manufacturer’s representative who assessed the damaged KV12 #1 engine suggested that it and two Caterpillar 3616 engines, which have been damaged for nearly a year, be “decommissioned and replaced” as the department works to bring stability to St. Kitts’ electricity supply.

It was also indicated that the electricity generation system is a “dynamic one”, and any changes to the load shedding schedule would be communicated to the public in a timely manner.

The department apologized to the public for any inconvenience that may be caused by the loss of power, and asked for patience as they carry out the necessary repairs and upgrades to the system.

(Now where were the warning flags for these minor occurrences in the Ross pamphlets when Eric first applied to this vet school?!?! At least we made it safely through hurricane season!)

~newspaper excerpts taken from http://www.sknvibes.com