LUCELEC met with Ti Rocher residents.
PRESS RELEASE – Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) has begun exploratory works to establish a substation in Ti Rocher, Castries.
The works include creating an access path to the proposed site for the team undertaking the geo-technical study. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) study will also be conducted. The results of these will inform decisions on the design of the substation and associated works. If the results of the studies are favourable, the project is expected to get underway in 2016.
As part of this on-going process, the Company participated in a community meeting with Ti Rocher residents on Sunday, June 22, 2014. The purpose was to provide clarity on the works in progress and the proposed substation as well as respond to concerns residents had about the project. The meeting was held at the Ti Rocher Primary School.
LUCELEC was represented by a number of senior officials including Acting Planning Manager Cornelius Edmunds who made a presentation to the audience. Also in attendance was a consultant on the project and representatives from the firms conducting the environmental impact and geo-technical studies.
The electricity company assured residents that following the geo-technical study, it would reinstate the excavated area ensuring proper drainage and plant trees to protect the soil from erosion. LUCELEC expects to meet with residents again to share the results of the geo-technical study and EIA.
Substations are one of the most critical facilities in LUCELEC’s power network. Their main purpose is to step down high-transmission voltages from the Cul-de-Sac Power Station to lower distribution voltages so that power can be delivered to customers.
Designed to very high standards to ensure no hazard to human life, substations are placed to ensure a consistent supply of electricity in load centres where there are or likely to be a heavy concentration of customers or demand for electricity, as in the case with Ti Rocher, Castries.
LUCELEC currently operates seven substations across the island.