According to General Manager of the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) Mr Leroy A. E. Abraham, right, it was made mandatory for submission of the bid that the companies travel to the Territory for a site visit. Photo: VINO

General Manager of the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation (BVIEC), Mr Leroy A.E. Abraham, left, addresses the representatives of the various companies who travelled to Anegada on December 11, 2019 for a site visit for the Hybrid Renewable Energy system on the sister island. Photo: VINO

Representatives of 28 companies, from as far as Spain and the United Kingdom (UK), travelled to Anegada for a site visit with the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 as the territory moves closer to installing the first Hybrid Renewable Energy system under the state-owned corporation. Photo: VINO

The aim is to facilitate the installation of a combined solar PV and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) which supports expanding renewable generation as part of the strategic objectives of the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation and the Government of the Virgin Islands.

BVIEC now falls under the portfolio of Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie (R1).

The team, which was led by a delegation from the BVIEC headed by General Manager Mr Leroy A.E. Abraham, was giving a detailed tour of the existing power generating plant on the island and then braved the unforgiving sun to visit the four plus acre of lands on which the new generating system is to be set up.

The breakthrough

The discussion and advocacy for a renewal energy system for Anegada started more than a decade ago when the BVIEC began lobbying government to release a plot of state-owned land located behind the power plant to allow for the moving ahead of the project.

The breakthrough came approximately one month before the February 25, 2019 General Elections when the government released the land to BVIEC. The electricity company wasted no time in commencing the process for the project.

This past October, the request for proposals was released by BVIEC for introduction of renewable energy at Anegada and saw more than 135 companies asking for the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents.

Necessary move

According to Mr Abraham, it was made mandatory for submission of the bid that the companies travel to the Territory for a site visit. This was done yesterday December 11, 2019 when twenty-eight interested companies were represented by close to forty persons.

Anegada, with a population of around 300, is not connected to the BVIEC’s parent grid located on the main island of Tortola. This factor results in the cost for producing electricity on Anegada being much higher.

“This is a necessary move. As part of our strategy going forward is to diversify energy production, utilising a lot more renewables,” Mr Abraham stated.

Following the site visit, the delegation will be in a closed door session where they will field more questions to the BVIEC team and other key stakeholders as they seek to make the bidding process as transparent and seamless as possible.

The potential bidders will then have a December 2019 deadline for submission of further questions and a February 7, 2020 deadline for the submission of bids.

It was agreed by the delegation that the site visit has been one of the most organised they have experienced.

The BVIEC’s General Manager is optimistic that the Anegada Hybrid Renewable Energy Project, the combined solar PV and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), will be up and running by the end of December 2020 or no later than early January 2021.