The developers of a proposed $330 million renewable energy power plant, who are seeking a tariff to recover project costs from local electricity consumers, are asking the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to keep substantial parts of its application confidential.
Renewstable (Barbados) Inc. (RSB), a special-purpose vehicle jointly-owned by Rubis and HDF Energy of France, had previously applied for “the entirety of its application” not to be disclosed, but this was opposed by intervenor attorney Tricia Watson.
Now, in an Amended Request For Confidentiality sent to the FTC on October 6 and signed by its strategic adviser, attorney Aidan Rogers, RSB is requesting that the commission “grants an order that its application be held in confidence by the commission pursuant to rule 13 of Utilities Regulation (Procedural) Rules 2003 as amended Utilities Regulation (Procedural) (Amendment) Rules 2009”.
RSB says it wants confidentiality in relation to its “proprietary business models that are currently not in the public domain and which, if disclosed, will afford a competitive advantage to the company’s competitors”.
“Additionally, these documents contain industry specific pricing details obtained from third party suppliers with whom the company is bound by nondisclosure agreements,” the amended application stated.
“This information, if shared with the public, could severely harm the company’s ability to competitively participate in other procurement ventures, locally, regionally and internationally.”
The FTC is holding a public consultation on the matter, but a September 17 online hearing related to it was not made public.
Consultation paper
In the regulator’s consultation paper published in July, it invited written submissions from the general public, Barbados Light & Power Company Limited (BL&P), RE producers, Government agencies, the business community, public consumer bodies or advocates, non-governmental organisations, and educational institutions, and any other interested party.
RSB is requesting a 10.2 per cent rate of return on costs associated with its construction and operation of the plant earmarked for Harrow Plantation, St Philip, but the FTC said it intended to “exercise its discretion to set a maximum tariff that does not produce rate shock” for electricity rate-payers.
The entity’s amended application for confidentiality is being requested for either part or full of the following areas: energy target compliance (capacity factor); detailed information on the cost of the project; the proposed remuneration scheme; engineering, procurement, and construction and operations and maintenance services contracts; financing; the intermittent resource viability study.
“The reason for the applicant’s request for confidentiality is that its tariff application and the appendices attached thereto contain information and detailed information, that is, models, trade secrets, and negotiated third party pricing, in relation to the Applicant’s tariff application which is not publicly available,” RSB stated in its amended application for confidentiality.
It said that public disclosure of the areas it wanted restricted would “present a grave business risk to the developer and its project subsidiaries which would expose the company’s name and the proposed project to avoidable legal liability, financial risk and potential harm to its successful development”.
“The applicant also maintains that disclosure of the information contained in the applicant’s tariff application cannot be justified in the public’s interest as the proprietary and thirdparty information contained therein does not need to be relied upon throughout this consultation process in respect of the subject matter, which is the determination of a fit-forpurpose tariff methodology,” RSB said.
Sole authority
“As such, this information should continue to be held in confidence by the commission, who has the sole authority to set a tariff in respect of all the information submitted along with the tariff application.”
RSB added: “Importantly it must be noted that the applicant has fully disclosed to the FTC the requisite information required for the determination of an appropriate tariff methodology based on the principles advanced in its application and highlighted in the consultation paper, for a tariff to be eventually issued in respect of the project.”
Intervenors say they are concerned that if RSB was granted the 10.2 per cent rate of return it applied for, along with the tariffs sought by BL&P, this would be a major cost of living burden on already cash-strapped consumers.
RSB has been granted a 25-year generation licence, dated May 19, 2025, to operate the project which it says will comprise a 50-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic plant; a 90 MWhour hydrogen-based energy storage solution; a 14 MW short-term battery energy storage solution; and a commercial Black Belly sheep farm focusing on local and export markets.
The project is receiving $80 million in funding from the Green Climate Fund. In addition, IDB Invest states on its website that RSB had applied for an $80 million loan, financing which is expected to go before its board for approval on November 18. (SC)
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