by Julie Wilson

BARBADOS LIGHT & POWER (BL&P) is to spend $50 million to install a gas turbine generator at Trents, St Lucy.

BL&P's chief marketing officer Stephen Worme told BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY the generator was expected to be installed by 2009, and was part of the company's long-term investment plan to satisfy consumers' electricity needs.

Site preparation work was ongoing, Worme said, to facilitate the installation of the first generator and accommodate other generators over the longer term.

Worme further revealed that the company had recently received tenders and they were being reviewed.

He said the new generator would supplement power from the low-speed diesel generating plant at Spring Garden.

Worme said gas turbines can burn both natural gas and liquid fuel – at least for the first generator.

He said the pipeline company that was working on the natural gas project had a study underway to finalise the project requirements with the view to bringing natural gas to Barbados from Trinidad in the next four to five years.

"Originally we were going to install a base-load low-speed diesel plant that burns bunker C fuel at this location but with the likely prospect of natural gas, which we expect will be landed at a significantly cheaper price than what the company pays for bunker C. . . we have revised our plans," he added.