Min. Martin outlines measures taken to improve electricity supply quality
Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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| Minister of Public Works, Utilities, Transport and Posts, Asim Martin |
{Basseterre; St. Kitts} Minister of Public Works, Utilities, Transport and Posts, Asim Martin, has informed and outlined a number of initiatives being undertaken by his ministry to beef up the quality of electricity supply being used by the people of St. Kitts.
Martin spoke to representatives of the local media on Thursday morning predominantly on issues relative to St. Kitts’ electricity and water services.
Relative to the electricity services, Martin said that in the recent past, the Electricity Department has undertaken a couple of initiatives and will be undertaking others during this year.
“The government, in 2007 commissioned a 4 megawatt MAN Holeby engine at a cost of US$7.9 million. This engine increased the installed capacity at Needs Must to 33.5 megawatts. Additionally the government renewed the Support Service Agreement with MAN Houston for the period 2007/2008.”
Martin further noted that the renewed agreement resulted in improvements at the power station including: increased plant availability, increased plant reliability, increased fuel efficiency, decreased production costs, the establishment of protocol procedures and the maintenance of engines in strict accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturers. ~~Adz:Right~~
Listed by the Minister as one of the initiatives which will be undertaken this year is the “conversion of the Mirrlees engine to burn heavy fuel oil instead of light fuel oil. This conversion is scheduled to be completed in the last quarter of 2008. With this conversion it is estimated that the government will save approximately $15 million annually. Electricity production is estimated to be reduced from $.0.6 per kilowatt hour to EC$0.50 per kilowatt hour. Also there will be a reduction in the fuel surcharge to consumers.”
In addition, “the department has begun its transmission protection upgrade for the project. This project will replace and retrofit all obsolete relays and circuit breakers on the transmission and distribution system with modern relays and circuit breakers. Currently, designs and equipment purchase are in progress. The actual retrofitting of relays and installation of circuit breakers is expected to be completed by September 2008. This will mean that these fast-acting devices will be responding to system faults and thereby preventing fault current from reaching the generators and so preventing island-wide block-outs.”
