Electricity

Electricity is produced by the Water- en Energiebedrijf Aruba (WEB) N.V. The total power generating capacity of the steam turbines amounts to 149 megawatts. There is also a 22 megawatt gas turbine as a backup unit, while a 6.5 MW diesel generator serves as an emergency unit. WEB N.V. produced an average of 60 MW, which together with a contracted supply from the refining company, is sufficient to comply with the average demand of 77 MW.

WEB N.V. delivers electricity to the distribution company N.V. Electriciteit-Maatschappij Aruba (Elmar). Electricity is supplied at a 60-Hertz frequency, and at 127 and 220 volts.

Water

Potable industrial water is produced from seawater by the Water- en Energiebedrijf Aruba (WEB) N.V., the world's second largest desalination plant. The water is safe, pure and refreshing.

Gas

Gas is supplied by one private owned company, which is, the Aruba Gas Supply company Ltd. (ARUGAS) and propane is delivered in cylinders of 100 lbs, which remain the property of ARUGAS. A deposit of Afl. 100 per cylinder is required. Instead of having gas delivered in cylinders of 100 lbs, tanks of 60, 120, 250, 500, 900 or 1000 gallons can be purchased or leased. A tank truck refills these tanks regularly.

Telecommunications

The market for telecommunication has been liberalized. Besides SETAR N.V. as the first provider of telecommunications there are two private companies that have obtained a licence to operate a mobile phone network. There are also additional internet service providers. SETAR N.V. being the first provider on the island, most of the telecommunications services are provided by SETAR (Servicio di Telecomunicacion di Aruba). The telecommunication infrastructure is advanced and sophisticated and provides a wide variety of advanced telecommunications services. They are interconnected by means of a fiber optic and digital microwave network, guaranteeing route diversity, high availability and reliability.

The penetration rate of services is one of the highest in the region.

For international telecommunications, SETAR N.V. has a network consisting of a 5ESS exchange, Standard A and Standard B earth stations, an international telex exchange and a digital microwave system. With the available infrastructure, SETAR N.V. can provide its customers with IDR and IBS satellite services. The earth stations are equipped for video up and down linking.

Aruba is a landing point of the Pan American Submarine Cable System, and is connected with the world fiber optic network.

International calls can be made to all countries in the world directly or via international operator service.

SETAR N.V. has a packet switching node for credit card validation purposes and additional data communication services. SETAR N.V. offers a mobile communication infrastructure and a new city-paging system for tone, voice (mail), numeric and alphanumeric options. A cellular telephone and trunking system (public mobile radio system) is available, as is Internet service.

Keep in mind that getting connected to any of the utilities wil take some time.