Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Trevor Louisy, Managing Director of St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC), about automation, investing in renewable energy generation, and driving national growth in Saint Lucia.
St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) is the primary electricity generation and distribution company for the island nation of Saint Lucia. LUCELEC has provided Saint Lucians with power since 1964, when the company was established as a government entity jointly owned by the Government of Saint Lucia, Castries City Council, and the Commonwealth Development Corporation. In 1994, LUCELEC went public, and today, shareholders include EMERA Saint Lucia, First Citizens Bank, the National Insurance Corporation, Castries Constituencies Council, the Government of Saint Lucia, and individuals.
“The 1970s saw an explosion in the demand for power as hotel development and banana production transformed the Saint Lucian economy,” explains Trevor Louisy, Managing Director at LUCELEC. “Average demand grew by about 50%, and we saw a doubling of capacity every three years. This put huge strains on manpower and resources. The result was the commissioning of two new power stations and an 11 kilovolt (kV) sub-transmission distribution system. Although we have moved on from those power stations, the distribution system remains in place today.”
“By 1990 a new generation and transmission line system was commissioned, which redefined the standards that had previously been applied to all of our operations,” says Mr. Louisy. “Cul de Sac Power Station inaugurated an era of highly professional and efficient operations. It led to the development of new standards for the company, and a 66kV transmission system, which allowed a more efficient flow of power around the island. Today, all of our generating capacity comes from Cul de Sac. We have two 66kV transmission rings around the island in order to deliver electricity to the population. One covers the south of the island and the other covers the north of the island.”
New Technologies
By upgrading technology and infrastructure and investing in increased automation, LUCELEC is driving improved efficiency, reduced costs, and a future-proofed grid. “We’ve just completed an upgrade of our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system,” says Mr. Louisy. “It serves as an interface between our generating capacity and our transmissions system. This gives operators remote control over a number of devices across out entire network. The operators can sit in a control room and see what’s happening outside. Similarly, we’ve nearly completed an automated metering infrastructure that uses electronic meters. As a result, we don’t go out into the field to read meters anymore because we can do all of that remotely. We also have some meters that allow us to remotely disconnect and reconnect. We’re installing more of those so we can reduce costs there as well.”
What’s more, LUCELEC is also looking into bringing online some low-carbon and renewable technologies. “There’s a few concepts we’ve also begun looking at, systems that will work together to improve our sustainability,” says Mr. Louisy. “We have just begun work on a 12MW wind farm installation, for example, and are now looking at the possibilities of battery storage. Geothermal technology is also on the cards. From a more visible point of view, we’re looking at the installation of some electric vehicle charging stations, because people over here are talking a lot about introducing electric cars. I believe serious progress will be made very soon on this front.
Renewable Future
Renewable energy, in particular, will play an increasing role in Saint Lucia’s energy generation moving forward. “LUCELEC is now transitioning to renewable energy generation,” says Mr. Louisy. “There was a National Energy Transition Strategy approved by the Saint Lucian government in April 2018. That strategy is a blueprint for the whole country. We have been identified for taking on a significant role in executing that plan. Based on that, we are anticipating by 2023 that we will have installed approximately 31MW of renewable energy technology. That’s primarily split between solar and wind. LUCELEC also hopes to possess 9MW of battery storage by then too.”
“In terms of geothermal exploration, that initiative is being driven by the government and a private developer,” says Mr. Louisy. “We are an interested party. The government has brought us on board, and we’re involved in all the discussions. Ultimately, we will go into a power purchase agreement with the developer. We see it as a major game changer because, unlike wind and solar, we see it as a possible direct replacement for some of our existing diesel generators.”
Supporting National Development
LUCELEC’s work enables a modern economy, gives people across the island access to their communities and the world, and creates new and future possibilities for Saint Lucia to thrive. The company also affects communities across the country in other, subtler ways. “Our company supports every single pillar of national development,” says Mr. Louisy. “That means education, entrepreneurship, innovation, health and wellness, environment, youth empowerment, sports, arts, and culture. We also support a number of faith-based organizations. By crossing the island and going into all communities, we understand where our efforts can help local people. We have a scholarship that we award every three years for engineering at the University of the West Indies. It’s named the Bernard C Theobalds Scholarship, after my predecessor. Mr. Theobalds was fundamentally responsible for transforming the electricity sector in St Lucia. We also sponsor a number of events, including the world-famous Saint Lucia Jazz Festival. The list goes on and on.”
LUCELEC has a fully formed vision for the future of the company and of Saint Lucia. “We want to do something that ensures our transition to renewable energy is well-planned and managed in order to avoid chaos,” explains Mr. Louisy. “LUCELEC is absolutely in consonance with the National Energy Transition Strategy because we are already looking at the three critical outcomes for consumers in our country. First is energy security and independence. Reliability, affordability, and sustainability are also critical factors that form the foundation of our future work. Finally, we are also looking into diversification into electricity-related business opportunities. That will primarily be to improve shareholder value. In the end, we will continue to pursue these strategies while remaining a model energy utility and best practice company within the business environment of Saint Lucia, and the Caribbean as a whole.”
