Check out our article in Bermuda Business Review: Bermuda Business Review 2022-2023 (zmags.com)
At the United Nations 26th Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland, at the end of 2021, delegates from nations around the world sounded a clarion call – the time to act decisively to address climate change is now.
There was no doubt as to the impending crises faced by humanity should leaders fail to act and it was made clear that everyone needs to be part of the solution, none more so than utilities such as Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO).
Long before COP26, however, BELCO had already embraced and implemented environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities, most importantly the commitment to achieving carbon Net Zero by 2050 which extends to offsetting the carbon footprint for all of our more than 230 employees.
For over 115 years BELCO has provided power to the people and businesses of Bermuda through the operation of engines using fossil fuels.
The power provided by BELCO was essential in helping grow Bermuda’s nascent tourism industry at the turn of the 20th Century and later its international business sector, which counted on reliable, safe power.
BELCO has continuously invested in plant and infrastructure with the last traditional power plant the company will build commissioned in April 2020 – a 56-Megawatt (MW) plant that now provides Bermuda’s base load of energy.
Going forward, BELCO is assessing the practicalities and economics of various renewable energy alternatives including solar, wind and others. Implementing these utility-scale renewable energy technologies will help us reach our goal of achieving Net Zero while ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective energy for our customers. We are also exploring using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a bridge fuel to reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact until more renewables are brought online.
In May 2019, an important step on BELCO’s sustainability journey was the commissioning of the 10 MW Nolan Smith Battery Energy Storage System which now provides ‘spinning reserve’ thereby reducing carbon emissions.
Solar is also becoming an increasingly large part of Bermuda’s energy mix with the commissioning of a 6 MW solar project adjacent to the airport in November 2021 as well as approximately 7 MW of distributed rooftop solar on homes and businesses now feeding into BELCO’s grid.
As part of BELCO’s efforts to further reduce the carbon footprint from operations, the entire commercial vehicle fleet is being transitioned to electric vehicles (EVs). BELCO operates an intermediate/light vehicle fleet of which 83% are EVs with the remaining five vehicles replaced with EVs once they have reached the end of their useful lives.
BELCO also operates a heavy vehicle fleet that includes specialty vehicles, including bucket trucks, recovery trucks, pole digger trucks and winch/crane trucks. While the intention is to transition this fleet to EVs, currently there is no viable option to meet our demands for these vehicles. Given the rapidly developing technology, we are hopeful that we will be able to start transitioning to an electric heavy fleet in 2024.
A reliable, robust grid that can accommodate the intermittent nature of utility-scale renewables will also be critical in the transition to a clean energy future and work started in 2021 ‒ and continues today ‒ on upgrading our underground transmission and distribution infrastructure. As part of the transmission upgrade project, BELCO is replacing 40% of its current underground transmission cables that are over 50 years old. Nearly 25% of the cables have served Bermuda for over 60 years.
BELCO’s Asset Retirement Project began in 2021 and once complete, will see the dismantling and decommissioning of eight of 16 engines along with four of eight gas turbines. In addition, five smokestacks will be demolished while site remediation efforts are undertaken throughout the entire project duration. This project will ultimately prepare our campus for the future requirements of diversifying our energy sources.
Steps taken for our business operations to transition to a more sustainable company include the migration of customers to e-billing, which has significantly reduced paper consumption, as well as an internal sustainable living communications programme that empowers our team of 234 employees to assist Bermuda on her sustainability journey.
BELCO is also anticipating and looking forward to a new Electricity Act which will assist in moving Bermuda’s energy sector to a more sustainable paradigm and we look forward to competing and contributing to a cleaner, greener energy future for Bermuda.
BELCO is acutely aware that sustainability extends beyond our environmental impact and also includes our social commitment to the community. In the last year, staff have volunteered their time to support 61 registered charities and 12 community initiatives focused on sustainability.
Our team has worked on various community projects throughout the year, including participating in Keep Bermuda Beautiful clean-ups, providing groceries for over 1,000 families, working on improvements at the Wind Reach charity for people with special needs, assisting the Bermuda Audubon Society, helping Meals on Wheels over the holidays, a food drive for the Royal Bermuda Regiment, a toy drive for the Coalition for the Protection of Children and volunteering efforts with the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.
Other community initiatives include raising funds for notable local charities, including the Women’s Resource Centre, The Foster Parent Association of Bermuda, The Diabetes Association of Bermuda, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the BELCO Hardship Fund, the Bermuda Mental Health Foundation and more.
At BELCO, beyond our community support, we have upheld our commitment to educating Bermuda’s future leaders through our scholarship programme and our apprenticeship programme. In addition, we have remained committed to training our own team to ensure Bermudians continue to power Bermuda.
The Government and business leaders in Bermuda are positioning the Island as a leader in green finance and it is vitally important that BELCO plays a part and demonstrates our commitment to achieving Net Zero.
This will assist Bermuda in securing business in increasingly competitive global markets and we are committed to doing our part informing key government officials and senior executives around the world, both in the public and private sectors, of Bermuda’s stability, agility and tremendous potential, as a green blue-chip jurisdiction for global business.
We endeavour to continually improve our operations and better serve the community within which we operate. The entire team at BELCO is committed to Bermuda’s journey towards sustainability and ensuring it is progressive, efficient, innovative and sound.
While this journey is ongoing, our unwavering commitment to a safe, secure and sustainable energy future remains. We look forward to doing our part to address climate change and building a sustainable energy infrastructure for future generations.
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Group Limited. Liberty Group Limited is a Bermuda-based provider of energy and energy-related services, owned by Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (Algonquin), also the parent company of Liberty Power and Liberty Utilities.
BELCO was established in 1904 as Bermuda’s sole supplier of electricity and currently operates generating plant and transmission and distribution systems to service 36,000 metred connections.
For further information about BELCO visit belco.bm.
