Belco will need suitably distributed sites on the Island to provide for alternative and renewable energy sources in the future.

The news came yesterday as a workshop on renewable and alternative energy technologies for Bermuda and other small islands started at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

The findings of the three day conference will be presented to the United Nations' Inter-governmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development which is preparing the documents for the UN Special Assembly of the Commission on Sustainable Development in April, 2001.

Belco consultant William Jewell pointed out that Belco would be entrusted with the responsibility of converting energy resources -- which included fossil fuel, wind and solar power -- to electrical power for transmission and distribution to the Island's domestic, commercial and industrial customers in an effective manner.

And this mandate required Belco to manage its myriad of activities so everything worked together satisfactorily.

Mr. Jewell noted that a utility company could only satisfy its customers by ensuring that component activities complimented each other and by responding to feedback from them.

And part of the challenge was making sure the company had the physical plant to handle the alternative energy resources and be able to distribute electrical power from them.

"It is apparent that in order to avail the opportunity of embracing renewable and alternative technologies, Belco will need to acquire suitable distributed sites,'' said Mr. Jewell.

"Locations such as the decommissioned USA power stations and also Southside are of particular interest.'' And for the introduction of alternative power sources to be successful, continued Mr. Jewell, there had to be close liaison between Belco and relevant Government ministries with consideration of relevant political, economic, social, technological and ecological issues.

Also yesterday, the Transport Ministry's Larry Jacobs pointed to the problems the Island's transport system was facing in connection with renewable energy supplies.

He noted that traffic had increased by 4.4 percent in the 1990s and that an opinion poll showed that 98 percent of residents were very concerned about the traffic problem confronting Bermuda which had an aging population and no space left to build roads on.

Mr. Jacobs said Government was committed to reducing the number of two-stroke motors on the Island -- many marine engines are two-stroke and some 90 percent of cycles have two-stroke engines -- which are very inefficient and highly polluting.

Meanwhile there were only two electric cars on the Island, despite the fact that they were duty free and car-pooling was not employed.

With the Railway Trail discounted as an alternative pedestrian/cycle route through the Island, Mr. Jacobs said the water was becoming the obvious route for transport development.

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