Contributed by Bill Bardelmeier
Six alternative energy providers have started talks with the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority to add to the utility's power production and reduce energy bills. Contracts wit at least two of the companies will be finalised within five months.
The six companies are the finalists in a process initiated by WAPA earlier this year to bring alternative energy production online and reduce the utility's dependency on fuel.Fourteen companies responded to the original request for proposals.
The companies that WAPA is negotiating with represent several different power producing technologies, including waste-to-energy, coal, ocean thermal energy conversion, geothermal power, and a combination of wind and solar energy.
Through these agreements, WAPA hopes to replace up to 26 megawatts of power generation on St. Croix and up to 30 megawatts of power generation in the St. Thomas-St. John District. That would represent about 40 percent of WAPA's normal peak power demand territorywide.
The six finalists are:
- Alpine Energy Group, based in Colorado. Alpine would use municipal solid waste and steam power generation.
- BioEnergy Inc., based in New Jersey. BioEnergy would also use waste-to-energy technology.
- St. Croix Renaissance Group, based on St. Croix. Renaissance would use coal to produce power.
- Sea Solar Power International, based in Washington, D.C. Sea Solar would use ocean thermal energy conversion to produce power.
- West Indies Power Holdings B.V., based in Nevis. West Indies Power Holdings would use geothermal power production.
- BlueWave Capital LLC, based in Boston. BlueWave would use a combined solar and wind facility to produce power.
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