Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a Washington-based development bank, and the Ministry of Energy and Business Development of Barbados have invited expressions of interest (EoI) to develop a competitive framework to develop utility-scale renewable projects with or without energy storage, regardless of technology type.

The tender is issued in line with the Barbados National Energy Policy 2019-2030 (BNEP), part of the country’s vision 2030 National Development Plan. The plan seeks to create a modern, efficient, diversified, and sustainable energy environment for the island, with a clear goal of achieving 100% electrical generation from renewable energy sources and carbon neutrality by 2030.

The selected consulting firm will be responsible for establishing an end-to-end transparent and competitive procurement process suitable to the context of Barbados.

The estimated project cost is $200,000, and the contract duration of the project is seven months from the date of signing of the agreement.

The bidders are not required to submit any earnest money deposit or a performance bank guarantee for this tender.

The successful bidder will be required to submit a review report on the existing international procurement procedures and the revision of the local legal framework, identified gaps, and recommendations for enabling the environment for a competitive renewable energy procurement framework, including the roles of the energy sector’s entities.

The selected bidder must also assist the Ministry of Energy and Business Development of Barbados in designing the bidding process and determining tariffs through competitive bidding for the renewable energy projects.

The bidders must have an experience of at least ten years in the energy markets and auctions related to the renewables sector. The bidders must have experience designing, operating, or supporting at least two renewable auctions that resulted in the successful procurement of renewable capacity, including onshore wind energy, offshore wind energy, solar, and/or storage.

The bidders with experience in conducting or participating in auctions design in developing markets or experience in the procurement of renewable energy capacity for small islands with isolated grids will have an added advantage.

In April 2021, Williams Renewable Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barbados-based Williams Caribbean Capital, an impact investment company, raised BBD 14 million (~$7 million) in green energy bonds to finance solar projects in native Barbados. The proceeds were to be used to add more rooftop and ground-mounted solar in partnership with individuals and businesses in the Caribbean island country.

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