The electricity at NV GEBE is produced by diesel-generator sets by use of mainly fossil fuel, in NV GEBE's case we mainly operate on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), at our generating plant located at Cay Bay. NV GEBE supplies electricity throughout the Dutch part of the island as alternating current (AC) at 12,5 KV at a frequency of 60Hz, and either single phase, two phase or three phase at 220 / 127 volts to residential and commercial clients.

In electricity, charges produce electromagnetic fields which act on other charges. Electricity occurs due to several types of physics: electric charge, electric field, electric potential, electric current, electromagnets.

Electricity is a secondary source of energy; it has to be converted from primary sources of energy such as diesel, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, methanol, geothermal etc, or sources like solar, wind.

NV GEBE produced electricity using an electric generator which converts mechanical energy (from the diesel engine) into electrical energy (generator). This process is based on the relationship between magnetism and electricity. When a wire or any other electrically conductive material moves across a magnetic field, an electric current occurs in the wire.

NV GEBE strives to provide a reliable and efficient electricity service at all times, over the last decade several investments were made to improve the reliability and efficiency by acquiring 6 new diesel generator set, a new medium voltage, switch gear room and radiator cooled water system verses the traditional sea water cooled system. The purchase of a new 11.3 MW diesel generator will improve increased efficiency and reliability of the Cay Bay power plant. After this addition the Cay Bay power plant will be powered with a total of 15 Wartsila engines.

The electricity supply which is available through the standard commercial or residential outlet is subject to disturbances such as transients, electrical noise, and outages. There is very little that can be done in the design of an electric utility system to eliminate these disturbances on an island operation. Over the years we have invested in our equipment to minimize our outages to a minimum.