SABA — Amidst rising electricity prices and climate change, the Public Entity Saba and the Saba Electric Company (SEC) are announcing their plan to develop further renewable energy on Saba.
In the last two years, fuel prices increased dramatically and have become more volatile due to the pandemic, supply and demand issues and most recently, the war in Ukraine. A combination of subsidies from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) and the Public Entity Saba are provided to consumers to help with mitigating the high energy costs. The volatility in fuel prices, along with the environmental impact of utilizing fossil fuels, makes transitioning towards a sustainable and affordable energy supply of extreme importance.
The Saba government, SEC and the Ministry of EZK are currently working on what the next steps are to achieve a higher renewable energy percentage.
Several feasibility studies were conducted on the possibilities of developing further renewable energy on the island. The most recent feasibility study explores how Saba can increase the renewable energy share from 40% to a maximally feasible percentage. The possibilities include construction of an additional solar park, installation of wind turbines or a combination of both. The feasibility study also identifies the challenges for executing this project, such as the geographical and logistical constraints, land availability and suitable locations.
Once the feasibility study has been finalized, it is likely that further studies will need to be conducted, such as an environmental impact assessment. In the coming months, townhall meetings will be organized to inform the general public of the possible future developments in renewable energy and how this will impact electricity consumers on Saba.
