The Barbados Ministry of Energy and Business is currently hosting a three-day Procurement Design Workshop with key stakeholders including RELP - Renewables for All, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, the Inter-American Development Bank, Deloitte, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and the International Finance Corporation. The workshop being held at the Warrens Office Complex represents the final stage of the collaborative efforts by a consortium of storage systems experts. These experts have been assisting Barbados since early 2024 to tackle the gridlock issue and promote the transition to renewable energy.

One of the main outcomes is the announcement that Barbados will soon launch procurement process to acquire Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) which are vitally needed to support the grid and allow the many stalled solar photo voltaic (PV) systems to proceed. The electric grid is currently at capacity with Barbados Light and Power unable to connect new PV systems to the grid without additional storage.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Senator Lisa Cummins, Minister of Energy and Business said: “This has been an absolutely urgent priority for our Government, and the partners have spent a lot of time collaborating with my amazing team because they understand how critical this is….

“The discussions over the next few days will take us into closure on the process where we can get battery energy storage systems into the country. In many ways this is a watershed moment that many have been waiting for.”

Since the beginning of this year, a consortium of experts has been supporting Barbados in its advancement with renewable energy, and the resulting pressures and demands on the electrical grid. Minister Cummins praised the work being done by the various partners which has included a grid characterisation study, with the findings presented last week:

“What they have shared with us and will share with the market over the coming days in market sounding sessions will take us a far way towards completing the design for a cost effective and price competitive battery energy storage system for Barbados. We hope to launch the first BESS procurement shortly, based on the timelines that we have seen coming into the development plan.”

She noted that local agencies have also played an active role, including the Fair Trading Commission, the Barbados Central Bank, Government Procurement, GEED, the Bankers’ Association and other relevant associations.

The workshop and meetings will conclude on 30th July with local industry stakeholders invited to a market sounding session. Once the procurement of the BESS systems is concluded, new residential and commercial PV projects will once again be able to connect to the grid.

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