Barbados is the first among all the Caribbean countries to bring to completion its renewable energy project. The project is funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Barbadian Minister for Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams, has described the feat as an extraordinary accomplishment. He made the remarks at the launching of the UAE/BWA solar photovoltaic project. The project was launched at the Bowmanston pumping station located in St. John.
The minister said the UAE had launched support of $50 million for the Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund in November 2017. This was done to assist member countries of CARICOM to cut down on high costs of energy. According to the minister, spending so much on energy has been a major barrier to growth in the region.
Barbados already has a goal set to be completely compliant with renewable energy by 2030 and the partnership with the UAE is totally in line with this objective. Abrahams said he is keen to collaborate with the UAE on other projects especially those related to renewable energy.
UAE’s Ambassador to Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti who is also the representative of the UAE to the Association of Caribbean States lauded Barbados’ efforts towards the completion of the project. Ambassador Al-Matrooshi said it was indeed a proud moment to see the partnership between both countries yielding such amazing results.