Windfarm project to boost jobs, tourism in St Lucy

Barbados is moving closer to its ambitious goal of becoming 100 per cent renewable energy powered by 2035, with Minister of Energy Senator Lisa Cummins confirming that the newest addition to the energy mix — a windfarm at Lamberts, St Lucy — will include a community investment component to benefit residents.

The windfarm, which will feature several turbines, is expected to generate between 30 and 50 megawatts of clean energy, marking another step towards reducing the island’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Speaking at the launch of the request for qualifications for the proposed wind projects at Lamberts, St Lucy and Castle, St Peter, Sen. Cummins stated that embedded in the contractual terms of this project was a design to share the project’s benefits with the average man.

“This is about a community project in as much as it is about a renewable energy transition project,” she said. “When [it was] mentioned that there is meant to be a community investment portion, it was not us just talking the talk…. Whoever is successful in bidding for this project must have the community investment component, and it is our intention to have a unit trust model in-built where members of the community, and Barbadians all, have an opportunity to invest in a large-scale renewable project such as this.

“So you’re not just seeing the turbines that are there, but you’re having the benefits in your community. To have a community interpretation centre right in your community, to be able to have a tourism element incorporated into the project, so that the community takes ownership and reaps the benefits of the renewable energy transition that we intend to anchor in Lamberts and Castle and a little further down as we develop the project.”

Elizabeth Marcano, regional director for Colombia, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean of the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, which is the lead transaction advisor for the public-private partnership projects, said that these were not just about infrastructure, but the “catalyst for economic transformation, job creation and innovation.”

She stressed that the Lamberts project, which will be the first of its kind in scale and technology for the country, builds on the island’s wind-powered legacy and sends “a clear signal that Barbados is open for business in wind energy, and that it has the wind resources, regulations and the vision to deliver.”

“The benefits of this wind farm will be far-reaching. First, it will reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels, improving energy security. Second, it will lower emissions and contribute to Barbados’ commitment under the Paris [Agreement on climate change]. Third, it will attract private sector investors who will bring world-class technical and operational expertise, advanced technologies and viral financing to contribute to Barbados’ sustainable development.

“Fourth, it offers the potential for local participation after commercial operations, and most importantly, it will include a community investment strategy designed to deliver long-term benefits for local residents, shaped by the community members and learned through the visits to another wind farm in Jamaica.”

Several residents had expressed concerns and reservations about the project, said Lamberts windfarm community liaison officer, Anderson Rollock, but after touring the windfarm in Jamaica, the mentality changed.

“We got the opportunity to interact with the persons in the community and got a whole lot of knowledge that we can come back and speak to persons about the current technology,” he said, adding that the noise level was very low and farmers were planting right up to the base of the turbines, and so concerns about losing agricultural land were unnecessary.

“I will tell persons that they have nothing to be afraid about. Wind farms today are about technology and we can all embrace it and look forward to good things happening in Barbados.”

jeniquebelgrave@barbadostoday.bb