29 September 2023
On Thursday 28 September, Chief Minister Julie Thomas remotely addressed attendees of the Virtual Island Summit (VIS) 2023. She spoke on ‘The way forward for St Helena with regards to Renewable Energy’.
During her address she noted that whilst St Helena currently generated 21% of its electricity supply through renewables (wind and solar), this Government’s goal is to deliver 80% of the Island’s energy demand from renewables by the year 2027/28, sooner if possible. To this end, last month the Executive Council endorsed a new Renewable Energy Policy for the period 2023-2030. The policy outlines the Government’s strategic direction on renewables and will now be shared with key delivery partners to establish a tangible plan for delivering its key aims before publicising the Policy.
SHG will be working with its Utilities Service Provider to design a renewables system for an external supplier to deliver and operate. At present the mix of wind and solar power that will make up the renewables infrastructure is not known, as research to inform the design feasibility element of the project continues.
The design and delivery of this project will be split into phases, to allow for use of different funding sources and approaches. Further external technical capacity is being sought through consultancy for specialist renewable energy input for final electricity demand modelling and design of a cost effective and reliable renewable energy hybrid solution for St Helena. It is expected that consultancy services will be secured by the beginning of next year, with all necessary modelling and design outputs completed by March 2024.
Work will then commence on the procurement process, with the expectation that a contract for delivery of the project will be signed before the end of 2024. It is anticipated that physical works would begin in the year 2025, with transition to 80% demand generation from renewables by 2027/28.
Notes to Editor
The Virtual Island Summit (VIS), which is organised by Island Innovation, represents a global network of over 500 islands in helping advance innovation and drive sustainable change across island communities worldwide. This year’s theme was “The Race to Renewables: Redefining the Potential of Economic Prosperity Through a Just Transition”.
#StHelena #VirtualIslandSummit # VIS2023 #RenewableEnergy
SHG
29 September 2023