The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL 

Tribune Business Editor 

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A $30M Andros renewable project will “simultaneously” seek to solve the island’s casuarina pine tree invasion by incorporating biomass into its energy mix, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

Leon Lundy, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office told the Andros Business Outlook conference that the firm recently selected by the Government to provide Andros with renewable energy solutions will cut down the casuarinas and use them to feed its biomass-to-energy engines.

The central and south Andros MP added that Providence Advisors, the Bahamian investment house headed by Kenwood Kerr, will install an island-wide network where biomass, solar and other renewable forms have a dominant 65-75 percent majority share of the energy mix. The 25-35 percent balance will come from clean fuels such as propane gas or liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Mr Kerr, whose firm won the competitive bid for Andros as part of the Government’s Family Island renewable energy tender, yesterday declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business on the basis that a power purchase agreement (PPA) has yet to be agreed and signed with the Davis administration.

Besides stipulating the price at which Providence Advisors will sell the energy it produces to Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), the PPA will also govern other aspects of the two sides’ relationship such as the duration of the agreement. This indicates that work remains to be done to seal not only Andros but all the other New Providence and Family Island renewable energy deals with the selected preferred bidders.

Mr Lundy, meanwhile, said Providence Advisors will be tasked with designing, building, operating and maintaining a “renewable energy installation for the entire island of Andros” that is able to meet its 5 mega watt (MW)m generation demand.

“Providence Advisors is a 100 percent Bahamian-owned company, and it has committed to securing and providing capital in an amount totalling over $30m for this project,” the minister disclosed. “This project includes, at a minimum, four installation sites in order to meet the power requirements for the entire island, which totals approximately 5 MW of generation demand.

“This future-focused project is set to exceed our goal of reducing Andros’ carbon footprint in the amount of 3,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The first phase is the deployment of Caterpillar engines to communities such as Driggs Hill and Mangrove Cay.

“These engines can be transported, secured and connected to the grid rapidly. Over time, more and more communities will acquire these container based engines. Due to the modular nature of the system, there are portions that can easily be upgraded with new technologies as they become available,” Mr Lundy continued.

“I believe we will have learned a lesson that replacing smaller, more portable units is faster, more environmentally-sensitive and more feasible than dismantling larger fixed infrastructure. The proposed system is to be comprised of 65-75 percent renewables and 25-35 percent propane or LNG engines.”

Mr Lundy added that “solar arrays will be deployed to augment power generation”, while battery energy storage will provide “redundancy in the event of maintenance or poor weather conditions” to ensure there is no disruption in electricity supply and that grid stability is maintained with consistent voltage.

The minister then hailed the deployment of a biomass-to-energy component as “a unique feature” of Providence Advisors’ proposed solution. The Bahamian financial provider is a major investor in the New Providence Ecology Park, the former landfill on Tonique Williams Highway, which is understood to have been exploring how to generate biomass and other renewable energies from the waste streams.

Mr Lundy, signalling that the Government is eyeing a ‘kill two birds with one stone’ outcome from Andros’ renewable energy solution, revealed that the biomass energy source will be cut down, dismembered casuarina pine trees that are an invasive species in The Bahamas.

He added that their “dense growth pattern and deep root systems” can impact soil composition and structure, while their heavy consumption of water undermines ground water resources and water available to native plants and wildlife.

Mr Lundy also pointed out that casuarina pines “are highly flammable, especially in the dry season. Their oily foliage and dense growth can contribute to the intensity and spread of wildfires threatening ecosystems, property and human lives. The behaviour of the casuarina pine can disrupt native plants and ecological processes, lending to a long- term ecological imbalance.

“Controlling or eradicating casuarina pines once they have become established can be challenging and costly,” the minister added. “Consequently, the proposed energy system will introduce the biomass-to-energy engines that will be fed by the casuarina trees.

“In this case, we have an opportunity to provide renewable energy while simultaneously addressing the need to manage the spread of the casuarinas. In addition to revolutionising our energy landscape this renewable energy project will serve as a catalyst for integrating business, education, farming and land use into both a cohesive and sustainable framework.”

Mr Lundy said benefits from the project will include “offering cleared land in exchange for feed stock for farmers”, “BAMSI students producing steam which can be used for food processing”, and persons being employed to clear land and remove the casuarina trees. “This company will collaborate with many industries to enhance our economic landscape,” he added.

Elsewhere on Andros, Mr Lundy said the Water & Sewerage Corporation will initiate “a major project to improve all pumping station locations”. A new pumping station is being eyed for Nicholls Town, while water production at Red Bays will be further expanded. Some 13 tanks, each capable of storing 5,000 gallons, will be deployed at the pumping stations to improve and increase storage capacity.

“Other major projects for 2024 will include a new Nicholls Town pump house, a BAMSI water supply installation and, in Mangrove Cay, the primary water main has been riven with breakages and leakages which negatively affect the levels of service provided to the residents,” Mr Lundy said.

“A loan provided by the Caribbean Development Bank involves the replacement of 11 miles of this major water main on Mangrove Cay. The project has already been tendered and bids have been received, and final approval is pending from the Government and the bank. We await the final decision on the awarding of the contract and starting of the works beginning immediately.”

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has also provided a non-refundable grant to the Water & Sewerage Corporation for a project that will solarise and provide renewable power to the Bluff well field.