More Bajans to get natural gas

Plans are in the pipeline to give more Barbadians access to natural gas.

Minister of Energy and Business Development Senator Lisa Cummins revealed Wednesday that Cabinet has approved a project that will lead to the expansion of the grid.

“We will be developing a new capital works programme that will allow for us to overall upgrade the infrastructure for gas in a broader cross-section of areas… because people want to have access to natural gas,” she told fellow lawmakers during debate on a resolution to approve the Barbados Physical Development Plan as amended 2023.

Cummins said similar to how the country is grappling with deteriorating water mains, the island’s natural gas mains are equally old and gas was being lost because of the ageing pipeline.

She said the challenge was currently being addressed with the pipeline infrastructure replacement project being executed by the National Petroleum Corporation.

The project which started in June 2022 is expected to run for 14 months and entails the replacement of ageing underground infrastructure with new polyethylene plastic that is more durable.

In an update on the project, Cummins told the Upper Chamber it was close to completion.

“We have what we call package A and package B. Package A refers to the areas specific to the Hastings area down to Rendezvous, [Christ Church], all the way down to the greater Bridgetown area. And then you have the greater Bridgetown area all the way up to places like My Lord’s Hill and Licorish Village. Those projects are 71.37 per cent completed. Package B, in this instance, relates to the greater Bridgetown area and that is 82.6 per cent completed,” she explained.

The minister disclosed that Cabinet had also agreed to the relocation of a critical transmission pipeline In the Belle/My Lord’s Hill, St Michael area.

“This is pipeline infrastructure that is over 60 years old in some instances, and so we have started the process of looking at replacement. The pipeline infrastructure from Woodbourne – natural gas that runs all the way down to the West Coast to service the hotels on the West Coast also runs all the way through that area in the Belle. What that means is that all the way through the Belle… the transmission pipeline runs to allow for gas to make its way down to the West Coast. We have to embark on infrastructure work in that area as well.

“So this is very much a part of what the government is already doing to implement the infrastructure upgrades required under the physical development plan now,” Senator Cummins said. (SD)