Early end of water contract
will cost Govt NAf. 9M bill
~ Enerserve keen to continue as partner ~
PHILIPSBURG--Early cancellation of the Island Government’s contract with water production company Enerserve for the production of drinking water for utility company GEBE will cost the Island Government about NAf. 9 million.
This figure was quoted Wednesday by Enerserve Caribbean Area Vice President Bill Harless, in a statement to The Daily Herald in which he also said Enerserve was interested in continuing to serve as St. Maarten’s “water production partner.”
Harless was commenting on recent reports pertaining to Government’s proposal to cancel its current 10-year contract with Enerserve three years before it is scheduled to end in 2010 and to enter into an arrangement with new water production company Air-Fin headed by a former Enerserve managing director William Barendsen.
“I wish to point out that an early annulment of this contract could cost the Island Government approximately NAf. 9 million,” Harless explained.
He continued: “Enerserve is proud of the service we provide St. Maarten and wish to continue as its water production partner. We also reaffirm our commitment to GEBE for improving the Cay Bay plant as stated by the GEBE Managing Director Mr. William Brooks” in a letter to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards dated March 26.
In that letter Brooks had also expressed GEBE’s concerns about the new arrangement now being pursued by the Island Government.
In his statement Wednesday, Harless also clarified water production figures quoted in two earlier editions of this newspaper.
He wrote: “The May 4 and May 9 editions included statements that Enerserve produces 9,370m3 of water per day. In fact, this daily volume of water is the contracted minimum production guaranteed by Enerserve. Enerserve’s average daily production has been 11,400m3 per day since January 2006 and earlier.”
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