Please see remarks from The Deputy Premier and Minister of Transport and Regulatory Affairs the Hon. Walter H. Roban JP MP during a press conference in the Ministry Headquarters today.
Good afternoon.
We have just signed the 6 Mega Watt Solar Power Project which is to be developed on St. David’s Island, Bermuda.
I am pleased to be joined by the Honorable Lieutenant Colonel David Burch, Minister of Public Works; Yves Lortie, Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Public Works; Doug Wagner, President of Saturn Solar Bermuda 1 LTD; and Mike Brugge, VP of Engineering at Saturn Solar Bermuda 1.
Welcome to the island.
This is an exciting day for Bermuda. The signing of this Project marks the official commencement of works for the Solar Photovoltaic Plant that will be located on a piece of land locally known as ‘The Finger”. For those of you who don’t know where this is – it is a small peninsula in the St. George’s parish by our airport which was the old munitions pier for the US Navy.
We are pleased to collaborate with Solar Bermuda 1, who were the successful bidders for the development of this land through an intense, transparent and inclusive selection process that began in 2016.
Out of 9 candidates, 6 being Bermudian, Saturn Power came in as the lowest bidder at 10.3 cents per kilowatt hour.
This project will benefit Bermuda in many ways:
- First and foremost, it will create jobs for Bermudians.
Early agreements during the bidding process set out that all bidders were required to have Bermudian content in regards to labor during construction and Operations and Maintenance personnel post-construction.
- Secondly, it will create an opportunity for sustainable and sensible competition in the electricity sector.
- Also, it will stabilize a small part of every rate payer’s electricity bill by replacing fuel costs with solar energy, allowing part of our electric bills to remain stable for the next 20 years. And four,
- The replacement of fuel costs with solar power will also keep an estimated 20 million dollars or more in our local economy over the course of this project’s lifetime.
It should be noted that the Government of Bermuda will also collect rent for this land that the Project will occupy. Associated costs to clear the development area and cut back vegetation will be recouped through the rent collected. Furthermore, at the end of this project, Saturn Power will remove their equipment so the land may be used for other development purposes in the future.
Just to be clear, while this peninsula is landlocked by the airport, it is an entirely separate project and will not offset the airport’s energy use. This Project is and will continue to be for the benefit of Bermuda, the benefit of all rate players and a collaborative effort between many local players and Departments. A vision intentionally and thoughtfully set out by the Progressive Labour Party’s last administration. We are encouraged by all of the great benefits that this work will bring to our island.
Thank you.
