St. Vincent’s Argyle International airort
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The Barbados-based CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) Tuesday said it has approved an EC$2.02 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) loan to St. Vincent and the Grenadines government for the new Argyle International Airport (AIA).
It said that the funds would be used to purchase equipment to establish a 218 kVa solar energy farm that will reduce electricity costs at the multi-million dollar facility.
CDF’s chief executive officer, Ambassador Lorne McDonnough, said that the pilot renewable energy project would provide approximately 35 per cent of the new airport’s solar lit and air-conditioned needs.
“It will be the first part of a wider programme of power generation to meet the needs of the AIA at peak demand and full operation and it is expected that at full generation any excess electricity will be made available through the grid to the rest of St. Vincent.
“The CDF is promoting greening, or environmentally friendly energy projects in the region and is striving to establish the plant at Argyle as a flagship for the initiative,” he added.
Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves said that EC$729 million airport which has missed several completion deadlines “will be completed this year and ready for operation”.
