St. Kitts to open solar manufacturing and assembly plant next week

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 21ST 2013 (CUOPM) – A solar PV manufacturing and assembly plant will be officially opened at St. Kitts’ C.A. Paul Southwell Industrial Park in Basseterre next week.

Speedtech Energy (St. Kitts & Nevis) Ltd, CEO, Mr. Lucas Chui said the manufacturing plant will be officially opened during a ceremony on site at 4:00 pm on Monday 24th June.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin, who is also the area’s Parliamentary Representative and Resident Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) His Excellency Mr. Miguel Li-Jey Tsao will be among officials speaking.

He told the Communications Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister (CUOPM) on Friday that the company will begin training 15 to 20 persons. Production should be in full swing by mid-July with finished products available for the local, Caribbean and Latin American markets.

In an effort to turn St. Kitts and Nevis into a green economy, the Federal Government of Prime Minister the Right Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas with the assistance of the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) has instituted several measures.

These include the installation of solar panels on the roof of Government Headquarters which houses several Ministries including the Office of the Prime Minister and the National Assembly and the installation of LED lights on the Kim Collins Highway and the Frigate Bay Road from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Headquarters to Sugars.

Solar Energy street lights have also been installed on the island main road from just outside of Sandy Point to the St. Paul’s. Solar lights have also been installed inside the Robert L. Bradshaw Memorial Park.

Speedtech is presently constructing a US$2.5 million one mega watt solar farm at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, which will make St. Kitts and Nevis the first nation in the OECS to establish a solar farm.

The next set of affordable homes is to be powered by solar energy.

“All of these efforts are being made into converting St. Kitts into a green economy. We see a green economy not only as the area of renewable energy, but we see the green economy as a means of providing new opportunities for our people in St. Kitts. New opportunities in terms of local jobs, training of new local solar and green energy technicians who would be available to carry out the agenda of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy, the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin.