The Fair Trading Commission, FTC, has handed down a ruling rejecting a significant part of a Barbados Light and Power Company cost recovery rate application.

The FTC decision, made on Monday, was in relation to BL&P’s application for preapproval of investments and cost recovery through the clean energy transition rider.

The FTC approved cost recovery for the following proposed investments: 15 megawatts of the 90 megawatt battery energy storage systems, automatic generation control systems; a distributed energy resources aggregation and control platform and interconnection infrastructure to facilitate the integration of independent power producers on the public grid.

However, the remaining 75 megawatts of battery energy storage systems and synchronous condensers were not approved.

The FTC notes that these proposed projects represent the BL&P’s first clean energy transition plan in support of the achievement of the government’s transitional goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Meantime, the BL&P’s Managing Director, Roger Blackman describes the FTC ruling as disappointing.

He warns that it could affect the company’s capacity to expand grid capacity to meet the country’s needs.

Nevertheless, Mr. Blackman says the power company will continue to work with regulators to find a path forward in dealing with what he calls the challenges ahead.

Barbados Light and Power’s Managing Director, Roger Blackman.