CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (JULY 09, 2009) – Electricity workers from the Nevis Electricity Company Ltd.(NEVLEC) along with counterparts from St. Kitts and the British Virgin Islands, were urged to master their skill as linesmen, since their job was an important element in the transmission of electricity from any source.
Minister with responsibility for Public Utilities on Nevis Hon. Carlisle Powell gave the encouragement at the start of a two-week sponsored Caribbean Electricity Utility Service Corporation (CARILEC) Linesmen Level II training workshop which concludes in Nevis next week.
“Ensure that you are good enough to fit into any work programme in any of the islands. A linesman is a linesman. If you are good enough, you can work in any of the systems in any of the islands.
“Pay particular attention to safety issues; your own safety, safety of your fellow employees and safety of the consumers,” he said.
The Minister also had a specific request for the Nevis participants who were preparing for a system upgrade.
“Nevis will always have power from whatever means be it fossil fuels, wind or geothermal. If we have electricity, we will have lines. If we have lines, we need linesmen. If you do your job well, you will always have a job. Do your job very well,” he said.
Mr. Powell also used the occasion to announce that more training would soon be made available to NEVLEC’s workers as they prepared for the advent of renewable energy based electricity on Nevis.
He explained that the United Nations University had formally invited Nevis to participate in a short course in geothermal energy.
“This course will be held in El Salvador during the month of October and participants will get to experience hands on training at a functioning geothermal plant,” Mr. Powell said.
The Public Utilities Minister who is also responsible for Natural Resources and the Environment said Nevis was on the brink of something exciting and that an agreement would be signed shortly for the production of 1MW wind energy plant on the island.
“This [wind energy] will combine with geothermal energy that will soon become our base load energy. Our thrust into renewable energy can make Nevis a provider of energy to the neighbouring islands of St. Kitts, Anguilla, Antigua, St. Maarten, USVI, BVI, Puerto Rico etc,” he said.
The workshop’s facilitator is Mr. Alfred Harris from Jamaica.
Nevis is one of the 98 members of CARILEC. The Association is made up of electric utilities, suppliers, manufacturers and other stakeholders operating in the industry in the Caribbean.
CARILEC’s mission is to build the efficiency and visibility of its members and to support their efforts at improving the quality of life of the Caribbean people, through the delivery of products and services that are relevant, cost effective and of the highest quality.
END
