The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The Water and Sewerage Corporation (WSC) yesterday said it is close to completing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a company that will supply wind turbine-generated power to its desalination plant on Eleuthera.

Glen Laville, the Corporation’s general manager, said that if successful, the Corporation would look to introduce renewable energy solutions at all of its desalination plants.

“That’s something we’re looking at very seriously,” said Mr Laville yesterday, while addressing the success of the Corporation’s non-revenue water loss reduction programme and customer win-back campaign launch.

“We had signed a power purchase agreement with a company to do wind energy in Tarpum Bay. They had gotten to the point where they did all of the wind studies, but that company was bought out by a larger company that wasn’t interested in proceeding with the project,” Mr Laville explained.

He was referring to Schneider Power, which together with Bahamian firm, WINSO Company, had formed the Eleuthera Wind Power entity to supply renewable energy to the Tarpum Bay reverse osmosis plant. Schneider Power was sold to Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide.

“We have now secured some other firms that are interested in doing the wind energy project, and now we are looking at the naval base in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, as the starting point. They are right now putting together all of the investors, they have done their studies and have started presenting some of the prices they feel they can sell energy to us at.

“We are hoping that that comes through. They are scheduled to be in town in the next two days, and they are bringing one or two investors to look at the site.”