Thursday, May 10 – The BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) has completed phase four of its development plan to improve electricity supply to the Territory by officially receiving four new engines from contractor, Wärtsilä Nederland BV, at an official handing-over ceremony yesterday.

Chief Minister Hon. Dr. D. Orlando Smith said when this Government took office they made a simple promise: we would ensure that the power supply of the BVI would be expanded to meet the needs of this community well into the future.  Today, we gather to celebrate the achievement of that goal.

“We gather today to reaffirm our fundamental commitment to the principle that here in our Territory the basic tools needed to thrive and succeed shall be the right of every member of our community,” the Chief Minister said.

“The growing thriving BVI that we see all around us is hungry for electricity to do more and accomplish more and this Government is proud to have in place an electrical system that will sustain the people in all pursuits,” the Chief Minister added.

Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Elmore Stoutt said the infrastructural development witnessed today has been undertaken to meet the people’s needs and the Ministry intends to give the necessary support to maintain this electricity supply in such a manner that demand would not only be met, but surpassed.

“It is no secret that in the past the electrical infrastructure of our Territory had not kept up with our changing needs. As a result, there was a continued challenge maintaining reliable electricity supply over the past years,” Hon. Stoutt said. 

Mr. Stoutt added, “Today we open a new chapter.  With the installation of these engines, we now have at our disposal over 40 megawatts of capacity at a time when we only require 28 megawatts.  That means that with few exceptions the days of our blackouts and power failures are officially behind us.”

Chairman of the Board of the BVIEC Mrs. Margaret Penn said we are developing our territory’s electrical infrastructure.  We are moving to become one of the most technologically advanced electrical utilities regionally and one of which all residents of the BVI can be proud.

Mr. Rodney George of Wärtsilä Nederland BV said this is not the end of our association with the BVIEC.  “We have been a partner with the BVIEC over the last 13 years, providing technical support for operating and maintaining the first two Wärtsilä 38 units that were installed in 1994, and that partnership I pledge to you here today is going to continue with support from our Caribbean office in Puerto Rico,” he said.

A statutory board under the Ministry of Communications and Works, the BVI Electricity Corporation’s development programme supports Government’s overall commitment to create a better quality of life for the people of the Territory, thereby ensuring the economy’s continued growth.

NOTES:

        1.Phase I of the BVIEC’s development programme began in 1989 and involved the construction of the Pockwood Pond Station, the installation of two 3.0 megawatt generators and extension of the transmission and distribution network.

          
2.Phase II began in 1995, entailed the installation of two 5.5 megawatt generators, the introduction of the generator seawater cooling system and extension of the transmission network.