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Funding to support solar farm, LED Street Lights, Tourism and Montserrat Port Development
February 27, 2020 GIU, Davy Hill Montserrat– The Government of Montserrat has welcomed the recently received second disbursement from The European Union (EU) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF11) to support the island’s sustainable economic development.
The disbursement of EC$11.98 million (€4.00M) comprised of the Second Fixed Trance EC$5.99 million (€2.00M) and the First Variable Tranche EC$5.99 million (€2.00M) which was achieved by the GoM successfully accomplishing specific performance indicators under the Programme.
In welcoming the budgetary support, the Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Joseph ‘Easton’ Farrell expressed appreciation to the staff in the Ministries and departments who worked diligently to allow Montserrat to accomplish the targets for the release of funds, and thanked the EU for their continued support and commitment to the people of Montserrat.
The Government of Montserrat is using the funding to develop and support key enablers for economic growth. “One of our key enablers is renewable energy, and in this regard the funding will support the new 750KW solar farm which will be installed in 2020, and will result in Montserrat having over 1MW of solar production. The EU has been the sole funding partner in supporting Montserrat’s solar power production, and we are appreciative of this support. Additionally, the EU has provided the funding to convert all street lighting to energy efficiency LED bulbs. This work is scheduled to undertaken by Montserrat Utilities Limited starting in March 2020 and is expected to be completed by August 2020,” explained the Premier, Hon. Farrell.
The assistance will also enhance Montserrat’s tourism offering, as monies are being used to develop a number of beach facilities and Montserrat’s trails and tourism signage. A large element of the tourism funding allocation will go to the development of the Volcano Interpretation Centre which is currently be scoped and designed.
The Premier also stated that another backbone infrastructure development being jointly funded by the EU, is the new port development which is a key building block to enhancing the economic environment.
Montserrat has recently entered the pre-qualification phase of contractors to design and construct the new port. Details on the Montserrat Port Development pre-qualification phase can be found on the Government of Montserrat website, at the following link: http://www.gov.ms/montserrat-port-development-project-enters-procurement-phase-pre-qualification-of-contractors-to-design-and-construct-the-new-port/
The release of funds comes after a mission to Montserrat by EU Head of Delegation, Ambassador Daniela Tramacere in 2019. The Ambassador toured the Island during her visit and met with Ministers and Senior Officials. The Government of Montserrat gives thanks to the European Union; and especially the Ambassador, for the continue support and financial commitment to Montserrat.
The overall programme budget for the 11th EDF support is EC$57.35 million (€18.72M). |
