Two leading companies to set up multi-million dollar solar photovoltaic farm

Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd has partnered with Williams Industries Ltd and its investment affiliate, Williams Caribbean Capital, to establish a $12 million
five-megawatt solar photovoltaic farm that will see the rum producer further reducing its reliance on heavy fuel to power its operations.

Managing Director of Mount Gay Distilleries Raphaël Grisoni said the multi-million-dollar solar farm project on 16 acres of land at the company’s Oxford Estate, St Lucy location was one way of contributing to the national goal of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

“The idea is to offset the usage we have and to reduce the carbon footprint,” he said.

“Sustainability is at the heart of what we do . . . and looking at the ambition of Barbados being 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030, we thought it was a good move. And, of course, Williams Industries is the best partner because they have a track record of solar farms on the island and they are using the best technology,” added Grisoni, who noted that the project had been put out to tender.

He was unable to say exactly when the solar project would get started but told Barbados TODAY that officials have already completed the necessary procedures, including environmental assessments, and was now “on the last stages” of approval. 

Executive Director at Williams Industries David Staples said once the green light was given by Mount Gay’s parent company Rémy-Cointreau, the project will begin.

Pointing out that the initiative was being locally financed, Staples said: “It is local ownership. It will be owned by Mount Gay and ourselves.”

“We are very proud of one of our larger international businesses here to take this step for the carbon offset and for the contribution to the local economy, and we think it is a win-win-win – from the Government and citizenry point of view, from his company, and Williams Caribbean Capital,” he added.

Grisoni stressed that the solar farm investment formed part of the rum producer’s sustainability strategy.

“For many years we were reducing our carbon footprint. Over the last four years, we reduced it by about 66 per cent by switching, for example, our main source of energy to natural gas. That helped us to reduce our usage of bunker [fuel] . . . . We are planting trees and doing simple things like switching to electric cars,” he explained.

“The solar farm is really a big milestone for us in our sustainability strategy. It is not something unknown. It is planned and it is part of our strategy. We are happy to have this partnership that, at the end of day, will be beneficial to everybody,” Grisoni added.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb