DEVELOPING THE SAINT LUCIA ENERGY ROADMAP

The report details the development of the National Energy Transition Strategy (NETS) for Saint Lucia, a collaborative effort between the Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL) and the utility LUCELEC, facilitated by RMI-CWR and the Clinton Climate Initiative. The strategy uses an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to identify the most cost-effective energy portfolio to reduce diesel reliance and carbon emissions over a 20-year horizon while maintaining grid reliability.

• The most economically optimal energy system for Saint Lucia consists of a portfolio including solar, wind, energy storage, energy efficiency, and existing diesel generation. Implementing this mix is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent and diesel expenditures by 42 percent by 2025.
• Energy efficiency is identified as the most cost-effective resource for minimizing system costs. Specifically, upgrades in lighting, refrigeration, air-conditioning, and water heating could avoid 11 percent of annual electricity sales by 2024 at a levelized cost of $0.03 per kWh saved.
• Utility ownership of assets is more conducive to lower customer rates than Independent Power Producer (IPP) structures. The analysis indicates that scenarios with the highest degree of utility ownership resulted in the lowest rates for customers.
• Diesel generation must remain part of the energy mix to ensure grid stability and meet reserve requirements, particularly in the short term as the infrastructure is already present and provides load-following capabilities.
• The 'Cost Optimal Scenario' for the island includes a combination of wind, solar, storage, energy efficiency, and diesel. The report notes that up to 20 MW of solar can be deployed as a "no-regrets" strategy, and up to 28 MW can be installed before requiring significant storage or infrastructure upgrades.
• Geothermal energy could potentially allow Saint Lucia to reach renewable energy penetration exceeding 75 percent, providing up to 30 MW of base-load generation. However, its viability depends on successful exploratory drilling and the availability of concessional financing.
• Natural gas was analyzed as a thermal alternative, but for it to be economically superior to renewables, all-in gas costs would need to be below $15/million British thermal units (mmBTu), and preferably below $12/mmBTu.
• The current regulatory and tariff structure, where LUCELEC recovers revenue volumetrically, creates a disincentive for energy efficiency because reduced sales negatively impact the utility's bottom line. The report suggests decoupling sales from revenues to resolve this.
• The introduction of decentralized renewables under current policies risks 'rate shock,' where rates initially decrease but then increase sharply as the utility adjusts to return to an allowable rate-of-return band.
• Load forecasting predicts a steady increase in electricity usage and peak demand, with a total projected increase of 33 percent over the next 20 years, necessitating new generation assets by 2023.

APA

Bunker, K., Doig, S., Locke, J., Mushegan, S., Teelucksingh, S., & Torbert, R. (2016). DEVELOPING THE SAINT LUCIA ENERGY ROADMAP. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Islands_Saint_lucia_Energy_Roadmap_Report_2016.pdf

Chicago

Bunker, Kaitlyn, Stephen Doig, Justin Locke, Stephen Mushegan, Siana Teelucksingh, and Roy Torbert. DEVELOPING THE SAINT LUCIA ENERGY ROADMAP. RMI, 2016. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Islands_Saint_lucia_Energy_Roadmap_Report_2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bunker |first1=Kaitlyn |last2=Doig |first2=Stephen |last3=Locke |first3=Justin |last4=Mushegan |first4=Stephen |last5=Teelucksingh |first5=Siana |last6=Torbert |first6=Roy |title=DEVELOPING THE SAINT LUCIA ENERGY ROADMAP |publisher=RMI |date=October 2016 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Islands_Saint_lucia_Energy_Roadmap_Report_2016.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bunker2016developing, author = {Bunker, Kaitlyn and Doig, Stephen and Locke, Justin and Mushegan, Stephen and Teelucksingh, Siana and Torbert, Roy}, title = {{DEVELOPING THE SAINT LUCIA ENERGY ROADMAP}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2016}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/03/Islands_Saint_lucia_Energy_Roadmap_Report_2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }