Government and utility officials are working to revive a long-delayed wind energy project designed to generate up to five megawatts of electricity, Utilities Minister Melford Nicholas said.

Nicholas said the project has “stalled quite a bit,” but officials from the Department of Environment and Department of Energy are trying to bring it into operation as Antigua and Barbuda seeks to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

The minister said the appointment of new directors at both departments has renewed efforts to advance the project.

“They are both working fastidiously to ensure that we can bring on board that wind energy project,” Nicholas said.

The facility was designed to produce approximately five megawatts of electricity. However, Nicholas cautioned that its eventual output could be lower because the equipment has been in the country for an extended period and problems could be discovered as work progresses.

“Because of issues that may be uncovered, because the facilities have been here for quite a while, it may result in less,” Nicholas said.

He said the delayed development would not be the only wind energy project pursued by the government as it seeks to diversify the country’s electricity supply.

“That will not be the only renewable project that we look at insofar as wind energy is concerned,” he said.

The proposed wind facility forms part of a broader effort to increase renewable energy generation and protect consumers from sharp increases in international fuel prices.

APUA officials said the authority currently relies heavily on diesel and heavy fuel oil to generate electricity. Its monthly fuel expenditure increased from EC$11 million in January to EC$21.8 million in July.

Nicholas said the recent surge in fuel prices exposed the vulnerability of countries that depend on imported fossil fuels. He said the government and APUA must move with greater urgency to expand renewable energy.

“The urgency is now,” Nicholas said. “It’s a fierce urgency because we cannot sit idly by and allow another fuel spike to occur.”

APUA is also studying the development of a large solar facility and plans to incorporate battery storage to help stabilise the electricity grid.

Electricity Business Unit Manager Andre Mathias said renewable energy must be introduced responsibly because wind and solar generation can fluctuate. He said batteries and improvements to the grid would be required to ensure customers continue receiving stable electricity.

Nicholas said the government expects renewable energy, battery storage and liquefied natural gas to form part of a hybrid system that would reduce, but not completely eliminate, the country’s use of fossil fuels.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Officials Working to Revive Stalled Five-Megawatt Wind Energy Project.