BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados has launched the second section of the aggressive procurement course of for Battery Vitality Storage Techniques (BESS), which brings the island nearer to unlocking the grid and permitting for the additional onboarding of renewable power.
The procurement is being applied by means of the Ministry of Vitality and Enterprise, and this section includes the official launch of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for as much as 60 MW of grid-scale power storage to be constructed, owned, and operated by personal builders.
Talking at Friday’s ceremony to launch the second section of the BESS procurement, Minister of Vitality and Enterprise Senator Lisa Cummins emphasised the undertaking’s significance, stating that it was about unlocking the grid.
“This undertaking…is the transition from not having the ability to join individuals’s tasks to the grid at a person stage, not having the ability to unlock over…$500 million in potential funding that has been trapped within the banking system as a result of these tasks should be operationalized. That is about attaining power independence and changing Barbados’ power import invoice.
“We’ve gone from gridlock to now, this undertaking, …grid unlock, and it’s a clear sign that…Barbados is poised to guide within the power transition for the area and past. I do know it has been a troublesome journey for lots of the traders…and…residential purchasers on this area,” she informed her viewers on the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Senator Cummins disclosed that the publication of the RFP, Vitality Storage Settlement, Vitality Storage Licence, Interconnection Settlement, Time period Sheets, and detailed paperwork could be uploaded to the Authorities’s procurement platform Bonfire on July 9.
She emphasised that her Ministry is dedicated to collaborating with all stakeholders to attain a clear power transition, the place 100% of the power is derived from renewable power sources by 2035.
Carina Cockburn, Nation Consultant of the Inter-American Growth Financial institution, stated the Ministry, together with its companions, had designed a clear, aggressive, and investment-ready public sale mannequin that mirrored world greatest practices.
Cockburn continued: “The Minister and her workforce have continued to steer this effort ahead with focus and ambition, bringing us to the second section of the BESS procurement course of. By embracing this strategy, Barbados continues to set a robust instance for the area, one which displays readability of imaginative and prescient, stable coverage alignment, and an general dedication to power resilience.
“Vitality Storage is without doubt one of the most advanced however needed enablers of renewable power integration. With out it, our progress hits a plateau; with it, we unlock stability, improve reliability, and improve using renewable sources for electrical energy technology.”
The IDB Nation Consultant expressed the view that the work resulting in Section Two displays the rising maturity of Barbados’ power ecosystem and positions the island as a reference level for different Small Island Creating States.
“On the IDB, we’re already taking a look at how the training from this initiative can inform regional fashions throughout the Caribbean. We consider that the success of this procurement, past strengthening the grid, will construct investor confidence, ship the best market indicators, and reinforce Barbados’ management in local weather resilience and clear power,” she proffered.
Managing Director of the Barbados Gentle and Energy Firm Restricted, Roger Blackman, acknowledged the large collaborative effort of the workforce led by the Ministry of Vitality and Enterprise.
“After all, it (BESS) is a necessary merchandise for our progress within the island and advancing renewable power, as everyone knows. We want these batteries [like] yesterday to maintain issues shifting ahead and to deliver the extent of stability that’s needed within the community as we develop the renewable power sector,” Blackman acknowledged.
The coalition of native and worldwide companies supporting the procurement course of contains RELP, NREL, the International Vitality Alliance for Folks and Planet, the Regulatory Help Challenge, the IDB, the Worldwide Finance Company, the Barbados Gentle & Energy Firm, the Honest Buying and selling Fee, and the Central Financial institution of Barbados.
The primary section was launched on November 8, 2024.
