A groundbreaking project to deliver discounted compressed natural gas (CNG) for motorists is set to launch in March 2026, offering taxi drivers and the wider public massive savings on fuel and a step towards cleaner energy, officials said on Monday.
Dr Legena Henry, founder of Rum and Sargassum Inc – the company behind the venture – told s the initiative will see mobile refuelling units installed at strategic locations across Barbados, with the initial target of 100 “happy” taxi operators before expanding to the general public.
The ABC Highway and Bridgetown are among the locations identified for the mobile units, with vehicles being retrofitted with dual-fuel, petrol/biogas kits and customers being registered.
Dr Henry, a researcher in clean energy at the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, said the refuelling stations will begin supplying CNG from the state-owned natural gas supplier and ultimately, biogas from sargassum seaweed and agricultural waste.
She said: “We have opted to sell natural gas to taxis at a reduced cost, at a 40 per cent discount on what they currently pay for driving each kilometre. When I sell my Sargassum biogas, it will be a 50 per cent discount. But, for now, we are purchasing natural gas from NPC [formerly National Petroleum Corporation] and selling it to the taxis, which is chemically equivalent to the Sargassum biogas.
“We have had a list of people signed up. People are enthusiastic, and now we have actually opened a waiting list to collect the names of those interested in joining our customer list. Even with a petrol or diesel car, you fit a kit to the vehicle; you are still able to run on your petrol, but can also use our fuel at a reduced cost. Right now, we are feverishly gathering our customers and getting ready to start installing kits – and that is a major milestone for us. This is our introduction to the marketplace and to revenue generation.
“We really believe that this revenue stream will enable us to start some of our own production of local Sargassum biogas. The hope is that by March 2026, we will begin the refuelling process. So far, we have about 35 people signed up, and we are ready to fuel 120 customers come March 1 2026. We have the capacity to expand into the thousands. This is CNG fast fuelling. You can have your car refuelled in three minutes.”
Dr Henry explained that once customers complete the sign-up process, they would receive a card which they would use to swipe at the mobile stations and then receive a bill at the end of the month.
Refuelling stations will “most likely” be located at Cheapside and Wildey in St Michael and Oistins and Top Rock in Christ Church, said the UWI researcher, who noted that as the service is mobile, the sites will be customer-driven and flexible, depending on where customers will likely refuel.
She added: “We are using technology already in use in Trinidad. The mechanics who came to install the kits in Barbados – we have four kits installed on the island already – are with the same company, and we are going to install more with them. People can join our waiting list at rumandsargassum.com, and those who join by November 20 have a chance to win a free CNG kit.”
Dr Henry also disclosed that Barbados continues discussions with the European Union (EU) on funding the other clean energy project – the biogas venture that uses Sargassum seaweed for gas production.
That project is set to revolutionise the energy industry and tackle the seaweed problem with a $186 million bioenergy project aimed at saving millions in foreign exchange, generating significant revenue, creating jobs, and offering renewable natural gas (RNG) for commercial sale by April next year.
The public-private partnership venture promises to extract gas from the invasive Sargassum seaweed.
The project will entail constructing an eight-megawatt biogas plant to be completed over an 18-24-month period and deploying a state-of-the-art circular Sargassum solution.
emmanueljospeh@barbadostoday.bb
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