Renewstable Barbados

pending

The investment costs total up to US$175 million for the construction of a baseload hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) energy facility with hydrogen storage (the Project or RSB) in the Parish of Saint Philip, Barbados. The Project will be developed through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) 49% currently owned by Hydrogène de France (HDF) and 51% by a wholly owned subsidiary of Rubis SCA (Rubis) and together, the Sponsors or the client.  RSB will convert sunlight into electricity via the 50MWp solar PV power plant. A capped and consistent level of output from the power plant will be directed to the grid, while the remainder will be used to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen via an electrolyzer system. The resultant hydrogen will be compressed and stored in 26 cylindrical tanks that will enable the long-term storage of approximately 7,200 kg of hydrogen (“HESS”). Fuel cells will then be used to produce electricity from the stored hydrogen gas when needed. A lithium-ion battery energy storage system (“BESS”) will provide a total installed power of 15 MW, with a capacity of 2 hours of short-term energy storage to meet the end-of-day-peak demand and provide a quick energy response to mitigate potential temporary sources of intermittency. The Project will power the national grid via a new approximately 3km underground transmission line (T-line) that will connect RSB to Barbados Light & Power Company (BLPC)’s existing substation. The T-line will be owned and operated by BLPC as a component of Barbados’ national power distribution system. The water supply will be primarily sourced from the municipal grid that is owned and operated by the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) who will undertake any necessary modifications to off-site water utility infrastructure beyond the boundaries of the Project. One pipeline of approximately 400m will be required to tie RSB and the farm to the closest water network: the supply will be bifurcated at the boundary, one line servicing the plant and a second smaller line supplying the farm.  As part of the Project’s dual land use legal requirement, agricultural facilities will be built to raise a maximum of 1200 Blackbelly sheep with the aim of producing meat – and, if commercially viable, sheepskin and manure. Sheep will be allowed to graze between and beneath the solar panels. On-site agricultural facilities will include sheep pens, a barn for hay storage, a feed silo, water storage tanks, and a designated waste skip area. No butchering will take place on-site.  The farm entity will operate the agricultural facilities under RSB’s oversight to provide vegetation management services.  The Project will be located at Harrow Plantation, privately owned agricultural land of approximately 123 hectares (ha) of which 73.2 ha will be leased by RSB to carry out the Project. Most of the productive land at Harrow Plantation has been traditionally used for sugarcane plantation. Residential communities exist adjacent to the boundaries of the Project, including Harrow Tenantry, a small community located to the north, and Marchfield Village and Farm Road Terrace located along the southern Project boundary. The HESS and BESS will be located more than 200 meters away from the closest community. A section of the historic Barbados Railway, considered cultural heritage, passes along the Project site on the northern side. The Barbados Railway Line has been included in the Barbados National Registry of Historic Places and is featured in the latest version of the 2023 draft of the Physical Development Plan (PDP) as a key component of an overarching policy to increase community mobility and accessibility through development of a multimodal transportation network that will feature routes for walking, cycling, public, and private transportation. RSB is expected to employ between 150 – 200 workers during peak construction activities. Approximately twenty (20) workers will be employed during operations of the plant and ten (10) workers for the operation of the farm. Detailed engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) activities are expected to last twenty-four (24) months under an EPC contract and are estimated to start Q3 2024. The EPC contractor will also provide Operations & Maintenance (O&M) services for the first two (2) years following the Commercial Operation Date. The Project will be designed with an operational lifetime of twenty-five (25) years and the contractual duration of the Power Purchasing Agreement is anticipated to be twenty-five (25) years. RSB has yet to define the EPC contractor and is currently reviewing offers from potential companies.