Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 10, 2020 (SKNIS): The official ground-breaking ceremony of the Basseterre Valley Solar and Storage Project for a 35-megawatt solar energy plant and the 45 megawatt-hour battery storage facility, was witnessed on Thursday, December 10, making the establishment of the largest solar plant in the Caribbean one step closer to being realized.
The Federal Government, in collaboration with The St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited (SKELEC), signed an agreement with Leclanché SA – one of the world’s leading energy storage companies based in Switzerland – in September 2019 to construct the largest solar generation and energy storage project in the Caribbean.
Chief Executive Officer of Leclanché, Anil Srivastava, who joined the ceremony virtually said St. Kitts and Nevis is on the right path to enhancing clean and green energy and noted that he is truly delighted to be a part of such initiative.
“Today is the day when St. Kitts and Nevis is leapfrogging to the clean and green energy future. We are here to celebrate the ground-breaking of the start of the construction of the project. We are also here in many ways to set an example of what a good public and private partnership should be about,” said Mr. Srivastava. “It is also a day to celebrate St. Kitts and Nevis’ leapfrog to clean energy and secure a clean energy future.”
Rajnesh (Raj) Walia, Solrid Ltd. Director, who also joined virtually said that St. Kitts and Nevis is a leader in innovation.
“St. Kitts and Nevis is the most advanced, forward-thinking, and at the forefront of embracing new advancement of technology in the Caribbean. St. Kitts and Nevis sets examples to the rest of the world and the Caribbean with most innovative infrastructure and investments initiatives,” said Mr. Walia. “In continuation of the leadership initiatives, we are today, witnessing the ground-breaking of the largest solar and battery storage project in the Caribbean as Solec Power Ltd.”
The 70 million dollars micro-grid project will be built by Leclanché in partnership with the St. Kitts Electricity Company (SKELEC) and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. Solrid and Solec Power Ltd also form part of the important project.
According to Mr. Walia, Solid Ltd., a St. Kitts-based company will be the general contractor of the Project and “will ensure that all the jobs created, heavy equipment requirements and construction material needs are fulfilled and sourced locally. This project is for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis and its people will work on this project,” he added.
The solar energy plant and the megawatt-hour battery storage facility will be built on 100 acres of crown land located in the Royal Basseterre Valley National Park utilizing a lease agreement. The plant will be constructed close to the SKELEC’s Power Station to facilitate the cost-effective transfer of energy. The construction of solar energy plants is part of the Government’s sustainable development agenda to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. -30-
