Antigua and Barbuda is expected to benefit from the largest renewable energy initiative of its kind in the Caribbean region in the form of $5.7 million to build a modern, climate-resilient, safe, reliable and sustainable supply of electrical power for Barbuda in the wake of Hurricane Irma, which destroyed 95 percent of the island on September 6, 2017, and forced all 1,800 residents to be evacuated to Antigua.
In that respect, the UAE-Caribbean Renewable Energy Fund (UAE-CREF) put forth $3.5 million during the first round of funding in 2017, in addition to $700,000 in humanitarian funding which the UAE provided to Antigua and Barbuda after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Late last week, the UAE-CREF announced the partnership with the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Public Utilities, Civil Aviation, Transport and Energy, the CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (NZMFAT) to restore power to Barbuda following the near-total destruction of the island after Hurricane Irma struck in September 2017.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda also put forth $1 million through the CDF, and the Government of New Zealand donated $500,000 to aid in funding the project and building a hybrid solar-diesel power station equipped with hurricane-resilient battery storage.