Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNIS): The new 18-megawatt dual fuel generators that will be purchased and installed at the Needsmust Power Plant in St. Kitts will significantly enhance the power generation capacity of the facility while meeting the government’s commitment to transitioning to a sustainable island state.
During his engagement with the media at the Roundtable on Thursday (April 24, 2024), the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr Terrance Drew, shared that the generators can be powered by Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), which is more environmentally friendly. According to www.naturalgasintel.com natural gas emits about 40 percent less carbon dioxide than coal and roughly 20 percent less CO2 than oil.
Prime Minister Dr Drew said the new generators are critical to modernising the national grid and achieving a reliable power supply.
“We know that we have some old generators. When we came into office, one of the things that we did was [buy] new generators and we fixed one of the major generators. I think it was a six-megawatt generator that we had to send to France to fix a major part to get it back up and running,” he stated. “We know that we need new generators at Needsmust so that we can have our [power] baseline steadied, and that is why we have decided to buy these generators, which can use a more environmentally friendly energy source.”
The prime minister noted that the generators will help to provide the power necessary to facilitate the growth and expansion of the country in the medium term. At the same time, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is transitioning to renewable energy sources such as solar energy, geothermal and wind energy.
The funding for the generators is included in a US$40 million agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development that covers the expansion of the St. Kitts Electricity Company (SKELEC) Needsmust Power Plant.