NIA announces partnership with US-based Company to convert waste to energy on Nevis
NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS — The following is a full text of a joint press release from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), regarding their partnership with Omni-Alpha LLC, a company based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States of America, to convert much of the island’s waste to energy.
Today the Ministry of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Nevis Electricity Company Ltd. (NEVLEC) jointly signed off on a Waste to Energy plant development for the island of Nevis.
After several months of discussions and negotiations, the Nevis Island Administration is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Omni-Alpha LLC, a company based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States of America, to convert much of the island’s waste to energy.
In addition, the partnership will see the construction of a solar energy farm by Omni-Alpha, LLC, to support the waste to energy plant and ensure the constant delivery of some 2, 250MWh of power annually, to the electricity grid on Nevis. The total overall investment by Omni-Alpha, LLC is expected to be US $20M.
This new partnership signals the further quantum leap forward of the island of Nevis, to become the example for the Caribbean and the world of a sustainable, green economy.
With constantly fluctuating oil prices and a population harassed by increasing electricity costs, the NIA has embarked on an ambitious programme of replacing fossil based energy generation with renewables. With its positive thrust in geothermal development and now its partnership on waste to energy and solar, Nevis has embarked on a paradigm shift away from oil towards a fully green economy.
The partnership with Omni-Alpha, LLC also offers the island a much needed waste solution and ushers into being the real potential for recycling and a more environmentally friendly waste disposal system.
It is expected that the waste to energy plant will consume virtually all of the daily household and commercial waste, tires, plastics, paper, plant and vegetable material that the island of Nevis currently generates and provide much needed ease on the island’s sole solid waste disposal site at Long Point, Nevis.
As part of the partnership between the NIA and Omni-Alpha, LLC, the people of Nevis will immediately benefit from the provision of two brand new waste disposal trucks.
Construction of the waste to energy plant and the solar energy farm is scheduled to commence in the final quarter of 2014 and will come online within 12 months thereafter.
Both Minister Alexis Jeffers who has responsibility for Energy and Natural Resources and Minister Mark Brantley who has responsibility for Health and Solid Waste in the Nevis Island Administration, expressed satisfaction with this new partnership.
It is the hope of the NIA that this innovative approach by the island Government will lead to substantial environmental and economic benefits to the people of Nevis, as the island continues on its stated objective of becoming a leader in renewable energy and sustainable development.