APUA’s General Manager and the Electricity Manager met with the government at their weekly cabinet meeting to discuss their findings as related to the cost of implementing additional generation capacity.
This additional generation capacity would be of renewable energy and is intended to be implemented at the APUA power facilities at Crabbes.
The APUA contracted with a consultant firm called Federal Capital that has experience in costing various energy-types and ascertaining their output, to cost renewable energy—such as solar, wind and other renewables—as against heavy fuel oils (HFOs).
According to Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst, the APUA representatives informed the government that renewable energy systems, though declining in cost, remain a pricey alternative, especially because of the batteries required to store the electricity.
There are two kinds of batteries. Type A, called intermittent supply type, is utilized to bring stability to the output of the solar farm when the sun is obscured by clouds and the output of the plant inexorably falls. Type B is used for storage when the sun shines, and to supply power at nights when there is no sunlight at all. They are distinctly different and are controlled by different computer systems.
The APUA representatives proposed a change to liquid natural gas (LNG) or liquid propane gas (LPG) in place of the heavy fuel oil (HFO) that is currently consumed by the power plants that provide electricity.
The growth in the economy has caused the peak energy consumption of electricity to rise from 51 megawatts in 2014 to 59 megawatts today; given projections of further economic growth, the peak supply will rise to 67 megawatts or more in APUA’s 20-year projection.
Members of government including the Minister of the Environment and the Chief Environment Officer questioned the accuracy of the figures presented by the consultants.
As such the government requested that additional and comparative costs be presented to Cabinet in a week or two.
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Hon. Gaston Browne Administration is really an ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE Government. Hon. Gaston Browne wants to EMPOWER all Antiguans. I do hope the Young People of Antigua and Barbuda would see that Hon. Gaston Browne is striving for Their future. Let Us forget about All the OLD BARBS of the UPP and Their Supporters. The UPP and Their Supporters DO NOT have a VISION for Antigua and Barbuda. The UPP Supporters like DAMANI TABOR , KNIGHT , SERPENT , GLADYS POTTER , CLEON ATHILL et AL only have HATRED in Theirs hearts and nothing good for Antigua and Barbuda. They just believe in MARCH / PROTEST which They will be doing for the next 30 years or more. I am appealing for All Antiguans and Barbudans to support the Hon. Gaston Browne INITIATIVES.
The Government would be well advised to commission an independent study on the appropriate energy mix and phrasing required to achieve their renewable energy goals.
Why are you abandoning Wind which is far more advanced and grid compatible than Solar?
Why are you still putting all your ‘power generation eggs’ into the Crabbs basket?
CNG and/or LPG cannot be the way forward. APUA appears not ever to be able to take off their blinders!
Please get a proper study done. There is a lot of free funding available for study and implementation for these renewable energy projects that can be sourced to our benefit.
The Government would be well advised to commission an independent study on the appropriate energy mix and phasing required to achieve their renewable energy goals.
Why are you abandoning Wind which is far more advanced and grid compatible than Solar?
CNG and/or LPG cannot be the way forward. APUA appears not ever to be able to take off their blinders!
Please get a proper study done. There is a lot of free funding available for study and implementation for these renewable energy projects that can be sourced to our benefit.
on the move November 24, 2019 at 9:40 am
BLACK-MAN
Did you listen to the HON. Gaston Browne on Pointe FM 99.1 yesterday ? The Observer Radio antenna is very very old . The breakdown is due to WEAR and TEAR . Observer need to raise money to repair Their ANCIENT equipment and stop blaming the General Public. SHAME SHAME on Serpent and Dave Lester Payne for Blaming Persons when They know the real cause of the problem.
BLACK- MAN
I will advise you to listen to Pointe FM 99.1 on Saturday afternoons from 4pm onwards to hear the truth . Saturday afternoons all Antiguans and Barbudans are tuned to Pointe fm 99.1 to hear our ESTEEM Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne.
This will not happen under APC watch.
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