Following a bid process led by Engineering Consultants, Kaehne Consulting Ltd, a local company named Urban Green Environmental Ltd was awarded the contract to supply and install the Solar PV system on behalf of FortisTCI. The pilot project, slated to last between 1 to 2 years, is designed to be used as a demonstration, which will allow for the tracking and the collection of data that will assist the Company in identifying possibilities for larger utility scale Solar PV installations in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Vice President of Energy Production and Project Management Nigel Hosein said, “Staff of FortisTCI will gain valuable practical experience and knowledge in the operation, maintenance and performance of Solar PV systems during this pilot project. The Company also hopes to determine at what levels solar energy can be integrated into our current electricity grid system. It is also viewed as environmentally friendly, often called ‘green’ energy, and environmentally safe.”
Customers also stand to benefit tremendously, as this project is one step closer to the possibilities of interconnection to the company’s grid with Solar PV systems. “Given the current and projected developments with Solar PV systems, from a cost benefit perspective, there is growing potential for these systems to become integrated into our generation mix to the benefit of both the utility and customers, without the need for subsidies. This project will help us prepare to take advantage of these opportunities when they arise,” Hosein noted.
After the pilot project has been successfully completed and the appropriate feasibility studies are conducted, utility scale Solar PV systems, if proved to be financially and technically viable, will be installed in an effort to continue providing reliable energy solutions to FortisTCI customers. FortisTCI continues to actively explore other renewable energy technologies that can be suitably and feasibly integrated into the Country’s generation mix without reducing safety and reliability in services or increasing cost to customers.
Notes to Editors:
1) FortisTCI Limited (FTCI) became a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc. located in Newfoundland, Canada in August 2006. Turks and Caicos Utility Limited (TCU), which is the sole provider of electricity on the Islands of Grand Turk and Salt Cay, was acquired by FTCI in August 2012. FTIC is the sole provider of electricity in Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos, East Caicos and adjacent Cays, and South Caicos. Together the two companies serve approximately 12,000 electricity customers in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Utilities have an aggregate diesel-fired generating capacity of approximately 75 megawatts. Additional information on FortisTCI can be accessed at www.fortistci.com.
2) Fortis Inc. is the largest investor-owned gas and electric distribution utility in Canada. Its regulated utilities account for 90 per cent of total assets and serve more than 2.4 million customers across Canada and in New York State and the Caribbean. Fortis owns non-regulated hydroelectric generation assets in Canada, Belize and Upstate New York. The Corporation’s non-utility investments are comprised of hotels and commercial real estate in Canada and petroleum supply operations in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. Fortis Inc. shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and trade under the symbol FTS. Additional information can be accessed at www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com.
CONTACT:
Allan Robinson
VP, Customer & Corporate Services
FortisTCI Ltd
Tel: 649-946-4313 Ext. 2507
Email: arobinson@fortistci.com
