Barbados to Develop Bioenergy Resources with UNDP Support

Barbados is moving forward with its efforts to achieve resilient, affordable, and low-carbon electricity infrastructure with the Sustainable Management and Resilient Thinking for our Energy Revolution (SMARTER) Project. On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Energy and Business Development signed the agreement for US$1.6 million in grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will be administered by UNDP.

The SMARTER initiative aligns with Barbados' National Energy Policy (BNEP) 2019-2030, aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2030.  It will focus on strengthening the Government’s capacity to lead this energy transition, enabling the use of sustainable biomass resources for generating energy, and developing a pipeline of bioenergy projects, among other initiatives. Through these efforts, SMARTER is expected to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increase the country’s renewable energy capacity. 

Minister of Energy and Business Development, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, underscored the importance of the SMARTER project in supporting Barbados’ aim to diversify its energy mix. She said, “It is about looking to see how we can bring new forms of technology into the country; how we are able to ensure that those new forms of technology are cost-efficient; and that they are easily accessible for all Barbadians and then lead to the ultimate goal of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.”

She emphasized the importance of coherence across the various energy projects happening in the country within the public and private sectors, noting that SMARTER aims to gather insights from each of those projects to map the potential for a bioenergy economy in Barbados and to create opportunities for a just energy transition, which she explained entails, “the creation of new jobs, training in new areas of skills, new capacity building and new opportunities – not just for Barbados, but for export.”

Officials at the Signing of the SMARTER Project with the Barbados Ministry of Energy and Business Development. [L-R] Deputy Permanent Secretary, Keisha Reid; acting Permanent Secretary, Kevin Hunte; Minister of Energy, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins; UNDP Resident Representative, Limya Eltayeb; UNDP Programme Manager, Karima Degia and UNDP Project Manager, Shawn Carter.

Limya Eltayeb, UNDP Resident Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, congratulated Barbados for its leadership in climate ambition and action, noting that the country has demonstrated a high degree of policy coherence across various sectors, noting, "They all have energy and the energy transition at the core of where this Government and this country want to go."

She continued, “As UNDP we are committed to support Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean and globally on energy transition. We are committed on the Paris Agreement and our target of ensuring clean, affordable, accessible, and equitable access to electricity to 500 million people globally. This SMARTER project will be one contribution towards that global goal. We can’t do it alone – we need the private sector, and we need communities to be part of the reform and transition together.” 

The signing of the project document signals the initiation of the project, which will be implemented over a four-year period by the Ministry of Energy and Business Development with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNDP. It aims to become a catalyst for biogas technology development in Barbados by significantly reducing the policy, knowledge and capacity barriers and investment risks for developing bioenergy in Barbados and assisting in the adoption of bioenergy solutions.

SMARTER is part of UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean’s commitment to increasing climate adaptability and resilience in its member countries. It is directly aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable and clean energy. 

More Information: Barbados A Trailblazer With SMARTER Project

This story was first published by UNDP Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean