News
FortisTCI announces $8 million investment in TCI’s First Solar plus Battery Microgrids for Twin Islands and Salt Cay
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (Thursday, June 8, 2023) – FortisTCI will invest $8 million to install the country’s first solar plus battery microgrids to power 30% of the electricity supply on North and Middle Caicos and 91% of the electricity supply on Salt Cay in 2024. The microgrids represent the Company’s single largest green energy investment to date.
The announcement was made on Thursday, June 1, 2023, as the Company hosted a business cocktail event called ‘Energy Hour’, at The Farm Restaurant, Seven Stars Resort. FortisTCI signed a contract with Compass Solar the following day at TCI Energy Forum. The Bahamas-based renewable energy company will install the solar components of the project and emerged as the winning bidder following a tender process that included local and regional companies. Hitachi will provide the battery storage service.
Construction on the twin-islands project will commence this year, and the system will come on stream in 2024. The solar plus battery microgrid on Salt Cay will also be operational in 2024. Both microgrids will encompass a battery energy storage connected to the primary grid with the ability to disconnect and operate independently, as necessary.
An independent study was used to determine the feasibility of microgrids in outer islands. Based on factors such as cost, each island’s electricity system, including generation resources, customer electricity use trends, fuel usage, and the amount of land available, North and Middle Caicos and Salt Cay were selected.
The solar plus battery microgrids are among several strategic investments that FortisTCI is making to meet growing energy demand and accelerate the transition to renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions and lowering energy costs over time. These investments are aligned with Company’s integrated resource plan (IRP), which supports an optimal energy mix that includes diesel, with at least 33% renewable energy integrated by 2040.
FortisTCI has conducted various studies to help determine the best energy mix for the country. These include gas-to-power research, which explored how the Company can integrate natural gas (LNG) into the energy mix. A study to determine the feasibility of wind as an energy source is currently underway on North Caicos.
Since 2015, FortisTCI has continued to expand its Utility Owned Renewable Energy (UORE) Program through customer partnerships. The Company has 2.6 MW of solar PV on the grid through 18 systems. These installations have produced over 4.8 GWh of green energy, avoiding 3.75k tons of CO2 emissions.
FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes stated: “We are taking significant steps to transform how we produce and distribute energy in the Turks and Caicos Islands. FortisTCI is greening the islands with our latest investments. Microgrids on North Caicos and Salt Cay will significantly decrease the overall cost of energy production in these islands. With appropriate amendments to the electricity ordinance, customers can benefit from lower energy prices over time. We will continue to work with TCIG to achieve this outcome. Reducing our dependence on imported diesel fuel, expanding renewable energy integration, and lowering the cost of electricity over time are all part of the sustainable energy future we are building for the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Wilkie Arthur
Eagle Legal News Media
Turks and Caicos, September 13, 2024 – In case one, allegations of a brother, of Dominican descent, raping his own sister and then hanging himself. In case two, allegations of another and known Dominican man after being deported or repatriated returns to the Turks and Caicos as a stow away and allegedly drowns.
Eagle Legal Court Correspondent was in the Coroner’s Court for the past two weeks when various different coronial matters were called.
The learned Coroner delivered her final decision on the two coronial matters mentioned above.
We will report on case number #1, “Allegations of brother raping sister, then killing himself.”
GABRIEL ESMIL DURAN, lived in Dock Yard, Kew Town, Providenciales. He was born in 1976 and allegedly hung himself in November 2021. His sister, whose initials are A V D, gave police a statement of her brother raping her about 12 hours before being found hanging with a rope around his neck.
The Hon Coroner relied on that statement to help aid her in her decision.
The sister said, her brother was drinking earlier that day, and after the sexual assault she ran out of the house and hid herself in the bushes until the morning. It was said that she told someone about the sexual assault. She said around 9pm she checked the door, it was locked, but in the morning the door was unlocked. The Coroner said there was no evidence of anyone entering the property, but one of her concerns was how the door got unlocked.
There was also information or evidence about his partner catching Covid-19 in the Dominican Republic, and that possibly weighed heavily on him.
Due to insufficient evidence surrounding the “police provisional suicide death” of Gabriel Esmil Duran, the learned Coroner did not reach the conclusion that this was a suicide death and her decision in the coronial matter was an “OPEN CONCLUSION”, which means if any further evidence was to ever come forward in this particular case, the coroner could reopen it.
Crime
“Life in Prison for setting fire” as Wheeland Residents say fire bomb tossed into residence Monday night
Wilkie Arthur and Deandrea Hamilton
Turks and Caicos, September 13, 2024 – TCI Police are not saying how the fire was set, but they do confirm a fire was intentionally set and witnesses speaking to Eagle Legal News Media report that it was thrown into a Wheeland house where it landed in the living room and exploded.
“…it is alleged criminals sent fire bomb (s) through a home, but thankfully no one was in the living room area where it landed and an explosion was heard loudly, no one was hurt or injured,” reported Wilkie Arthur of Eagle Legal on the night of the horrifying incident.
The Police report explains: Shortly after 8 p.m. yesterday (September 9), officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force
responded to a fire report at a dwelling in Wheeland, Blue Hills, Providenciales. Upon arrival at the scene, police officers and firefighters saw a structure in flames.
All efforts to contain the fire were successful. Fortunately, there were no injuries. Based on initial reports, the fire appears to have been deliberately set.
The RTCIPF wishes to remind the public that under the Malicious Injuries to Property Ordinance Chapter 3.11, Section 4, “Setting fire to a dwelling-house with any person being therein Whosoever shall unlawfully and maliciously set fire to any dwelling house, any person being therein, commits an offence, and being convicted thereof shall be liable to imprisonment for life.”
Fire Trucks and Police were summoned to the scene on Monday night. Images of the response are shared by Eagle Legal.
Meanwhile, the RT&CIPF is asking anyone with information that may help in this investigation to contact the closest police station, 911, the Serious Crime Unit at 231-1842, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 8477 to provide any information anonymously.
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