Business View Caribbean | August 2022

30 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 . T he beautiful destination of Aruba, which lies off the northern tip of South America and within several hundred nautical miles off the coast of Venezuela, is one of the many island nations that dot the Caribbean Sea. As a tourist mecca, the island is not significantly industrialized and relies on imports to keep its economy running. One such import is liquified petroleum gas (LPG) or propane. Arugas N.V. is the largest importer and distributor of LPG in Aruba, supplying residential and commercial customers across the island. Although privately owned, Arugas is considered a utility on the island and frequently collaborates with the government on various energy initiatives, including transitioning the island to future renewable sources as the energy industry transforms. Arugas has evolved significantly since its founding in 1940. At the time, the two founders saw an opportunity to introduce LPG to an island that primarily cooked with firewood and kerosene. Jan Harsveld, Managing Director at Arugas, picks up the story. “We had a petroleum refinery on the island with a byproduct that in those days was called “bad air”, which was not AT A GLANCE ARUGAS N.V. WHAT: Leading gas supplier and distribution company on the island of Aruba WHERE: Based in Barcadera, Aruba WEBSITE: www.arugas.com FUELING THE PRESENT & THE FUTURE