The official report from WEB Aruba NV confirms that a failure in two RECIP engines caused the island-wide blackout on Sunday, July 5.
According to the new bulletin, at around 12:15 PM, a malfunction occurred at the WEB Aruba NV plant, leading to a complete power outage across Aruba. WEB personnel acted immediately to isolate the cause and restore electricity as quickly as possible. Given the delicate situation, the recovery process required careful control to prevent further failures.
They managed to restore full power to NV Elmar by 6:00 PM.
The failure involved two RECIP engines, which caused a significant imbalance in the power supply system. Consequently, the load shedding system, designed to disconnect high-demand areas, did not function properly. A more detailed investigation will be needed to determine the exact cause of the engine failures.
Power supply recovery began around 2:00 PM, prioritizing critical areas such as the airport, hospital, and ImSan. Around 3:40 PM, one RECIP engine tripped again, causing limited interruptions in some areas still powered. By 6:00 PM, WEB’s production team successfully restored full power to all substations.
The blackout also affected water supply in some neighborhoods where water pumps rely on electricity, resulting in decreased water pressure.
WEB Aruba management and staff apologize for the inconvenience caused by the blackout, which lasted 5 hours and 45 minutes. Teams across production, maintenance, technical services, distribution, and communications worked hard to minimize outage time and keep the community informed. WEB thanks everyone for their understanding and patience.
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