Montserrat Renewable Energy Project Signals Action by Government and Local Utility Company, MUL

Great news has been delivered for Montserrat's renewable energy development and delivery programme, as the Government of Montserrat and Montserrat Utilities Limited (MUL) recently released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for interested parties to qualify for the Engineering, Procurement and Construction for a 1 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery project on the island.

The RFQ was released on Friday March 24th, 2017.

The continued positive push to have renewable energy resources being integrated into the National Grid of Montserrat is part of a vision brought to the fore and championed by Honourable Minister with responsibility for Energy, Paul J Lewis, and his team at the Ministry of Communications, Works, Energy and Labour (MCWEL).

The medium to long term goal is that further development of Montserrat's renewable energy programme will place the island in a stable position to have reliable energy for both residential and commercial use.

The exciting thing about this Energy program for Montserrat is that key stakeholders are also fully onboard with the vision, and are working exceedingly hard on its delivery.

Involved in the renewable energy project are: the Government of Montserrat which Minister Lewis represents: also too, the Montserrat Utilities Limited (MUL) and its staff; alongside excellent support and expertise from international organisations such as the Carbon War Room and its Caribbean representative in Mr Owen Lewis. The Department for International Development (DFID) and its local representatives, along with Montserrat's financial planners - all these stakeholders are also 100% onboard this move.

This tender that has been put to market represents the first of two major project phases. The first phase will account for 250 kilowatts (kW) of solar capacity into the grid. Then upon completion, the first solar project will generate 11% of the current peak load or maximum electric power needed.

The second phase will begin in early 2018, and will consist of an additional 750kW of solar and associated battery storage.

This will be a huge boost for Montserrat's energy programme.

The solar project is part of the new national energy policy released last year, titled “The Power to Change - Montserrat Energy Policy 2016 - 2030 (MEP 2016- 2030).”

More information can be had on this project by visiting the project tender section of the Government of Montserrat's website www.gov.ms/tenders/.