#Providenciales, 6 December, 2019 – Turks and Caicos – The Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) held their 118th board meeting in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) on Monday, December 2. This was the last convening of the Board for 2019 and the first-ever board meeting held in TCI in the 30-year history of CARILEC. Nine Directors represented utilities and attended from St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent, Nevis, St. Eustatius, Antigua, St. Kitts, and the Bahamas, and two Directors representing the associate members were from the US Virgin Islands and Florida, USA. FortisTCI President and CEO Eddinton Powell currently serves as Chairman of the Board. The Executive Director of CARILEC Dr. Cletus Bertin and members of the secretariat also attended.
The meeting, held at FortisTCI’s corporate
offices, included a presentation by FortisTCI Manager of EHS Marcus Francis on
the FortisTCI Environmental Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS). This
was followed by an update from Bahamas Power & Light, still undergoing
extensive recovery efforts due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in
September.
Indeed, as utilities around the world focus
on resiliency and sustainability within the industry, Dr. Michael Spranger,
with The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, made a special
presentation about parametric insurance. With the increase of high impact and
disruptive events, Dr. Spranger explained how parametric insurance coverage for
the region could, in the short term, aid utilities and countries needing to
recover from qualifying catastrophic events.
Following the board meeting, FortisTCI
Director of Plant Operations Alvejes Desir led the Directors on a tour of the
FortisTCI Provo generation facilities. The visit provided the chance for
Directors to explore the company’s operational procedures and its strategic
investments to deliver safe, resilient, and reliable services to the country.
President and CEO Eddinton Powell said,
“FortisTCI is pleased to have hosted the CARILEC Board of Directors in the
Turks and Caicos Islands this week. It was a historic occasion and many of the
CEO’s were visiting the country for the first time.”
Mr.
Powell continued, “CARILEC plays a pivotal role in bringing together
regional expertise and helping map the way forward for the transformation of
the energy sector. It is crucial that members of the Board and other partners
see first-hand the similarities and differences in operations, particularly in
the Caribbean, so that we can learn from each other’s challenges, and work
collaboratively to identify opportunities and solutions from which we can all
benefit.”
CARILEC is an association of electric energy
solutions providers and other stakeholders operating in the electricity
industry in the Caribbean, Central and South Americas, and globally. With over
three million electric utility customers and more than 18,000 utility
professionals in the region, CARILEC plays a leading role in advocacy, growth,
and sustainability, and offers ongoing training and technical support for its
34 utility members and over 80 associate and affiliate members.
Release: Fortis TCI
Photo Caption: The CARILEC Board of Directors held their 118th board meeting in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Monday, December 2. Pictured in the front row (l to r) is CARILEC Chairman of the Board and FortisTCI President & CEO Eddinton Powell and CARILEC Executive Director Dr. Cletus Bertin. Row two (l to r): Grenada Electricity Company Limited General Manager Collin Cover, ABB International Sales and Marketing Director Gianni Moreno and General Manager of Nevis Electricity Company Limited Jervan Swanston. Row three (l to r): St. Vincent Electricity Services CEO Thornley Myers, Statia Utility Company N.V. CEO Fred Cuvalay, Antigua Public Utilities Authority General Manager Andre Mathias and CARILEC Secretariat Sonji Baptiste. Row four (l to r): CARILEC Secretariat Cornelia Auguste, St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited General Manager Clement Williams, Tantalus Executive Vice President Hugo Hodge Jr., Bahamas Power and Light CEO Whitney Heastie and St. Lucia Electricity Services Managing Director Trevor Louisy.