SKELEC CHANGES OVER TO ENERGY EFFICIENT STREETLIGHTS

Basseterre, St. Kitts (April 22, 2020)— The St Kitts Electricity Company Ltd, began installing new LED energy efficient streetlights on Monday April 20^th under the Street and Flood Light Retrofit Project.

This first phase of the installation includes a changeover of 5,356 High Pressure Sodium, Mercury Vapour and Metal Halide lamps to LED lamps. The project begins with a changeover of lamps on the FT Williams Highway starting at the Camps roundabout, continuing east on the island main road towards Conaree, then Keys onwards. Twenty-six (26) environmentally sensitive amber LED lights will be installed on the island main road in Keys and throughout the Keys community to protect turtles that nest on Keys beach. 

The second phase of installation will include the replacement of over 400 flood lights at sporting complexes across the island. The new LED lamps will be at the same location as the existing lamps and will use the same poles and wiring.

The changeover of these lamps will reduce street and flood lighting energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in St. Kitts Nevis. Additionally, the street and flood light retrofit project will reduce reliance on fossil fuels and the federation’s contribution to global warming.

Financing for the project is provided through a loan from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis totalling approximately EC$15,638,000 (US$5,792,000) to facilitate the retrofit of about 10,760 lamps on both St. Kitts and Nevis. 

The CDB estimated that the new LED lamps can result in approximately EC$1.12 million in savings per year on electricity billing to the Federal Government.  While the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is estimated to achieve savings on electricity bills of approximately EC$1.08 million per year.

SKELEC anticipates that the changeout project for both phases will take place for about a year and will reduce maintenance and material costs and maintenance visits over time. To facilitate the changeover of these lamps, members of staff of both SKELEC and NEVLEC were trained in safe handling, storage and disposal of the old streetlamps in February 2020.

SKELEC would like to recognise the CDB, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Post, Urban Development and Transport for their involvement in this project.

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