Process begins for wind farm in St Lucy involving BLPC, Gov’t, int’l financial partners
By Marlon Madden
Five years after the Barbados Light and Power Company (BLPC) missed its target of establishing the Lamberts, St Lucy wind farm project, officials have announced that it could get started within another year.
This time, however, the planned multi-million dollar, 30-megawatt (MW) project, which will be the largest of its kind in the Caribbean, will be carried out through a partnership with the Government.
This was disclosed on Tuesday, as government officials, members of the BLPC and its parent company Emera Caribbean Inc. and other stakeholders gathered at the utility company’s Trents, St Lucy generation site to officially open the Clean Energy Bridge (CEB) power generation plant – a 33 MW state-of-the-art facility.
Chief Operating Officer of Emera Caribbean Inc. Dave McGregor told the gathering via a recorded message that the CEB “will help us transition cost-effectively and reliably from fossil fuel oil-based power generation to renewable generation”.
“The third phase of the St Lucy energy gateway will be the Lamberts Wind Farm which, in collaboration with other government entities, we look forward to construction over the next few years,” he said.
“As part of the Emera group of companies, the Barbados Light and Power Company is fully committed to the Emera strategy of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation. And this Clean Energy Bridge is a key part of that strategy allowing us to manage the transition in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”
The first renewable energy-related project by the BLPC was a sprawling 10 MW solar photovoltaic farm that was commissioned in 2016. That sits adjacent to the approximately $130 million CEB, construction of which started in early 2020 and which became fully operational in early 2022.
Minister of Energy and Business Development Senator Lisa Cummins said the CEB was a representation of where Barbados was heading with its renewable energy goals, but insisted that while it was “a start” there was still a long way to go as she challenged the utility company to “burn cleaner forms of energy”.
Indicating that St Lucy will become the hub for renewable energy projects on the island, Cummins said preliminary work has already started in relation to the major wind farm project.
An estimated cost for the project has not yet been disclosed but Cummins said international financial partners will be involved, as she indicated that residents of St Lucy will also be consulted.
“The [BLPC] team has been tremendous in working along with our international financial partners to be able to complete the signatures, a few weeks ago, of a non-disclosure agreement allowing us to begin the process of exchanging information,” she said.
“We will have, during the course of the next week, a team down working along with the National Petroleum Corporation to erect the first mast and that will begin the process of a year-long study of the wind speeds to be able to map out when, where and how we have a 30-megawatt project on wind,” she disclosed.
Cummins called on the BLPC to become leaders in helping to train individuals “to be able to lead us into the renewable energy future”, as she expressed a desire for Barbados to become “the hub for the first energy transformation institute for the Caribbean region”.
Managing Director of BLPC Roger Blackman gave the assurance that the utility company would continue to do all it could to ensure business continuity as it continued to invest in “the critical infrastructure required to support a reliable grid and facilitate a smooth transition”.
He said the CEB was designed to reduce energy costs and deliver power efficiently and reliably. The BLPC official reported that since the facility was commissioned in June 2022, it has been performing “exceptionally well, resulting in lower fuel costs for customers every month”.
“Having operated for more than 6 000 hours, it has collectively delivered over 230 million kilowatt hours of electricity to customers across our island. For the first five months of this year, the Clean Energy Bridge has provided roughly a quarter of the total energy consumed by our customers,” he reported.
Blackman insisted that if Barbados is to achieve its energy goal in the next seven years, greater unity among policymakers and all stakeholders will be critical.
“It will require each of us innovating, facilitating and collaborating together as we revolutionise the energy industry in Barbados,” he said.
Blackman disclosed that two weeks ago, the company retired its steam plant at the Spring Garden generating site, after 47 years of operation.
marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb
