Construction of a  12 megawatt wind farm, the first of its kind in Saint Lucia, will begin in December.

The wind farm will consist of four turbines erected on the ridge near the Bordelais Correctional Facility (BCF).  At full capacity, it will generate enough energy to power approximately 19,475 homes.  Its output will be equivalent to the production power of one of LUCELEC’s 10 diesel engines. The wind farm is projected to reduce the amount of fuel purchased by the company by about 10 percent.

The project was officially launched in April 2015 with a test tower and equipment used to record wind speeds and wind direction to assist in the design of the wind farm. To date, a number of studies ̶ including geotechnical and environmental impact studies ̶ have been completed, paving the way for construction on the project to begin this year, once the appropriate approvals have been secured.

A community meeting was held recently, to brief residents of Dennery on the progress of the wind farm.

Close to 100 people attended the meeting during which the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology, LUCELEC, and Windtex Energy, made presentations on the purpose, current status and implementation schedule for the wind farm.

Residents were also briefed on job opportunities the construction project would provide, and were informed that an employment job fair will be held to fill a number of positions including truckers, laborers, security, accountants, engineers and surveyors. A number of services like housing, catering and rental cars will also be sourced from the surrounding area.

Beyond the construction period, job opportunities for maintenance of the wind farm will be available, for which training would be provided.

The wind farm is a joint project between the Government of Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) and Windtex Energy, a wind developer from the US.

The wind farm project is expected to be completed in September 2017.