Siloed thinking

 9th July 2026

The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is the biggest single consumer of electricity on the island of Barbados. The island’s flat topography, high population density and reliance on ground water means that pipe born water is pumped to most consumers (using electrical pumps), with little or no help from gravity. Plans to ramp up desalination to meet demand in this water scarce country will only increase the energy requirements of the water sector. Storm damage to the electrical grid can result in serious challenges to water delivery, as electric pumps go offline when the grid fails. 

This is a stark reminder of the strong links between energy, water and climate change in the Caribbean and clearly highlights the need for policy decisions that transcend the traditional silos that often characterise decision making. 

I was recently in Barbados for the annual in-person meeting of the Board of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the highlight of the visit was the chance to see first-hand the major project being implemented by the CCCCC, in partnership with the BWA and the Government of Barbados.  This project has involved measures to increase the climate resilience of the water sector to the effects of climate change by ensuring that there is backup power available in the event of disruptions caused by hurricanes or other events.   The project has received major funding through the Green Climate Fund (GCF). 

As part of this project, CCCCC and BWA have installed solar PV systems at three major pumping stations; Belle (2MW), Hampton (2MW), and Bowmanston (0.5MW) which can be used to pump water even if the grid is down.  These three PV units will also help reduce the total electricity purchased from the grid by BWA and be able to raise revenue by selling excess solar electricity to the grid during normal operations. This new revenue will be channelled into a revolving fund to help individuals and small businesses implement water conservation measures. 

The idea is that even if the grid is down due to storms or other causes, the solar plants will be able to supply some electricity to keep water moving through the pipes. Two 1 MW back-up natural gas-powered electricity generation units have also been procured to provide redundancy and an additional source of electricity in the event of electrical outages. 

The three solar plants have been installed, and the gas turbines are on site, but unfortunately the full commissioning of the plants has been delayed. This delay is to allow BWA to procure the batteries that are now required by the electricity utility, Barbados Light and Power (BL&P), to maintain grid stability as more intermittent source of renewable energy is added to the grid.  Since the projects were originally conceptualized and execution started (also delayed by Covid and subsequent supply chain disruptions), there has been a change in the regulatory environment in Barbados, with new larger solar projects now being required to have more than four hours of battery back-up installed before they are connected to the grid. 

In addition to this project, CCCCC has also begun a project (3R-CReWS) to upgrade the sewage treatment plant to tertiary level and then piping that water for agriculture and non-potable use. The project will install an additional 1MW solar PV system that will provide around two thirds of the electricity needs of the sewage plant.  Making non-potable water available for agriculture and other uses helps to reduce the demand on ground water and future desalination demand. 

These types of developments further highlight the need for strategic forward planning and joined up policy development between sectors and different organisations. A project that seems logical for the water sector and designed to meet a specific need of building resilience to climate change also has to meet the needs of the electricity sector. This is where detailed and comprehensive national planning and regulation are necessary, especially when you have privately-owned utilities with responsibilities to their shareholders. 

I have frequently seen siloed thinking in the broad space of energy and resource management in the Caribbean, with individual agencies or companies pursuing a strategy that is logical within their silo, but in a manner that blocks off action in a different silo. Ministries of Planning have a crucial role to play in overcoming these issues and ensuring that stakeholders in different sectors find win-win solutions that meet broad needs. But equally important is a mindset from individual agencies or companies to look broadly at a range of stakeholders and understand that different actors have different interests. Learnings from projects like the one implemented by CCCCC in the Barbados water sector provide important learnings that need to be shared broadly[CY1] . There is a clear opportunity for CCCCC and BWA to jointly share the important lessons learnt from this project with other stakeholders across the Caribbean and beyond. 

If we want solutions to the challenges of water, climate and energy we need to break out of our silos and think broadly. Otherwise, we will continue to hit problems when we mix water and electricity.