Power company tries out new pole materials–but sticks with wood, for now

The Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BLPC) is trialling innovative materials such as fibreglass poles for the island’s electricity grid. For now, the company maintains that traditional wooden poles remain the safest and most practical choice for much of Barbados.

Speaking to reporters at the Maynards substation in St Peter, Director of Operations Johann Greaves outlined the company’s approach to infrastructure. While alternative materials have been considered, wood remains the backbone of the network.

“Currently on our network we have around 70 000 poles. The majority of the poles are wood poles,” Greaves said. “We do have a few concrete poles in a few areas and we have a very, very small amount of metal or aluminium poles. Traditionally, we have used the wood poles.”

Greaves explained that safety and maintenance are the primary factors influencing the continued use of wooden poles. With many poles positioned close to roadways, vehicle collisions are not uncommon, and wooden poles are designed to break on impact, potentially reducing the risk of serious injury.

“If those were metal poles, the poles are not going to snap and there will be a lot more serious injuries to persons and probably more fatalities as well,” he said.

Wooden poles also offer advantages for maintenance crews, who find them easier to climb compared to concrete alternatives. Nevertheless, Greaves confirmed that Light & Power is conducting trials with fibreglass poles, which are lighter and more durable, making them suitable for densely built or hard-to-reach areas.

“Poles that are made out of fibreglass… those poles are a lot lighter. They’re supposed to have a very long duration as well,” he noted. “Our personnel normally have to drive the pole—get a number of persons and drive the pole to the location to erect it. The composite poles are very light… one man can move the pieces because they come in sections and we actually assemble it at site.”

Although fibreglass poles are more costly, their longevity and ease of transport present an attractive option for specific applications.

The company is also collaborating with developers to improve pole placement in new housing developments, aiming to position them further from roads where possible. Greaves acknowledged that available space often limits how far poles can be set back.

“There’s only a certain distance that we can go off the road in terms of planting poles,” he explained, citing road reserve restrictions.

Developers are given the choice between overhead and underground cable installations, but Greaves pointed out that underground systems are significantly more expensive.

“The underground installation is a lot more costly—sometimes as much as 20 times the cost of going overhead—simply because there’s a lot of cost in terms of the digging because of our coral rock,” he said. “Usually in any development, if requested, we would give the developer price proposals for overhead and underground and they would normally make the decision.”

While overhead systems remain the preferred option for most developments, some high-end or strategically important projects opt for the aesthetics and resilience of underground systems. But the Light & Power official cautioned that faults in underground lines are more difficult and time-consuming to detect and repair.

“When there’s a fault [overhead], we can drive down, we can look up at the line, we can see that there’s a fault there—a kite or something on the cable—and within a few minutes we’re up in the air and we can start addressing the fault,” he said. “When the fault is on the ground, it is not immediately visible… you have to get permission from MTW, dig up the road, identify the fault, repair it, and then reinstate the surface.”

Despite these challenges, Greaves recognised the importance of underground systems for critical infrastructure.

“There are certain areas that make sense to go underground—definitely the hospital, airport, seaport, police stations,” he said. “Once it’s possible, it would make sense to have those underground because you’re looking at resilience.

“If cost was not a factor, you would probably put everything underground and probably have backup feeds… but it’s always trying to match resilience with cost.” (SZB)