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Anegada Solar project is a ‘view into the future’- Dr Neil M. Smith

-Anegada powered by renewable energy 19 hours a day
The Anegada Hybrid Renewable Energy and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project has been called the future of electricity generation in the Territory. Photo: Facebook
General Manager of the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC), Dr Neil M. Smith said the goal is to go significantly into renewable energy for the production of energy in the territory. Photo: Facebook
General Manager of the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC), Dr Neil M. Smith said the goal is to go significantly into renewable energy for the production of energy in the territory. Photo: Facebook
Mr Sean Hartley, Electrician for the contractor installing the system on the Anegada Hybrid Renewable Energy and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project said installation on the project was done from the ground up. Photo: Facebook
Mr Sean Hartley, Electrician for the contractor installing the system on the Anegada Hybrid Renewable Energy and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project said installation on the project was done from the ground up. Photo: Facebook
THE SETTLEMENT, Anegada, VI- General Manager of the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC), Dr Neil M. Smith, has called the Anegada Hybrid Renewable Energy and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project the future.

Giving an update from the site on Monday, August 18, 2025, Dr Smith said the project has taken a lot of grit, hard work, ingenuity and cooperation between the contractors and the BVIEC. 

“This is a signature project for us. It's a view into the future…We expect to be going significantly into renewable energy for the production of energy in the territory.”

The Anegada facility, he continued, is a prime example of what is possible. 

“This facility runs Anegada on renewable energy for around 19 hours a day right now, and we're still tweaking the system and expect it to get better.”

Installation done from the ground up

Mr Sean Hartley, Electrician for the contractor installing the system, said the installation was done from the ground up. 

Ground was broken for the project in 2022 by US-based Power52 Clean Energy Access. 

Currently, there are 1.2 megawatts of solar panels ‘DC side’, with the capability to produce about 900 kilowatts of solar ‘AC’, Mr Hartley explained. 

There are also four containers of energy storage, each one being about a megawatt-hour. “That’s four megawatt hours in total that we have to be able to run Anegada.”

Mr Hartley explained that the batteries charge from the solar, which in turn supplies Anegada with power. 

“As the sun kind of goes down, it'll start to transition over onto the batteries, and the batteries will supply the energy to Anegada till probably about early hours of the morning, and that's going to depend on your sunlight.”

Also present were Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley, Minister for Health and Social Development and Ninth District Representative, Hon Vincent O. Wheatley, and Minister for Communications and Works, Hon Kye M. Rymer. 

9 Responses to “Anegada Solar project is a ‘view into the future’- Dr Neil M. Smith”

  • BRAD BOYNES (24/08/2025, 08:36) Like (2) Dislike (5) Reply
    Nice BUT. This should have been done 35 Years ago.
  • Wow! (24/08/2025, 09:33) Like (3) Dislike (2) Reply
    VG or Tortola next?
  • BuzzBvi (24/08/2025, 09:44) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
    That is great news.

    For future projects we just need to tweak the VI time clock.

    Nice to see this up and running.
  • great (24/08/2025, 16:24) Like (3) Dislike (0) Reply
    Finally, a forward thinking project.
  • downscote (24/08/2025, 16:45) Like (6) Dislike (1) Reply
    It is good that Amandla Engineering is finally finishing the job. The original contract was with a Maryland, USA company. Due diligence was not properly done by the BVI Government on that company which subsequently failed to fulfill its contract., Hence the delays in the execution of the project. If properly installed with good anchors, it. should be able to withstand hurricanes. My rooftop solar panels survived Irma and Maria.
    • Curious (25/08/2025, 15:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      I too hope that we have learned that the Local Bid is a better option for us all around. Build capacity, keep the money in the local economy, more jobs, & completed projects. Hope they are trying to recover some of the money that the Maryland guys absconded with...
      • JUST-THE-FACTS (26/08/2025, 13:32) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        Please don't comment about what you do not know. Although it was reported that the project was a 5 million dollar project, that is the total cost of the project. That is labor costs, supplies and materials. That is not 5M profit. The Maryland company came to BVI, trained locals on how to build the project, then employed them. So technically the money did stay in the country. No one absconded with the money. Don't believe everything you read in the newspaper run by the owner that was a direct competitor for the bid.
    • JUST-THE-FACTS (26/08/2025, 13:28) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      Your information is inaccurate. The Maryland Company and Core Development fulfilled it's duties. There was no contract execution failure. The delay was due to rising costs in supply chain after the pandemic. BVIEC subsequently wanted to renegotiate the cost of supplies after the contract was already signed. The US companies employed locals from the class at HLSCC and subcontractors from the island to build the project.
  • Excellent project (24/08/2025, 20:42) Like (0) Dislike (1) Reply
    I think that sometimes we forget the things that we should celebrate, things that made us successful.


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