Bermuda will be rolling out a nationwide LED streetlight upgrade plan, Bernews cited the country’s Public Works Minister Craig Cannonier saying at a press conference.

The ministry partnered with BELCO and signed a 10-year contract with the Bermuda-based power company to roll out a new streetlight upgrade scheme.

Under the contract, BELCO offers a 10-year warranty, the Bermuda Government has accepted BELCO’s ‘Lease to Purchase’ option based on a 10-year financing arrangement at the end of which, all installed LED streetlights and their associated control and monitoring equipment becomes wholly owned by the Bermuda Government.

“This initiative will reduce the Government’s monthly street lighting energy bill by approximately 57% [or BM $14 million (US $14 million) over the next 20 years] while providing improved and more consistent lighting along Bermuda’s roadways,” added Cannonier.

The streetlight project is expected to help the island country cut carbon emission by 900 tonnes annually in contrast to using traditional high pressure sodium streetlights, said the minister.

The streetlight project in 2016 builds upon BELCO’s 2014 LED Pilot Program, which was rolled out in the Trimingham hill area, and involved replacing 4,000 high pressure sodium lights with LEDs during a 2-year time frame.

In May 2014, the Government of Bermuda issued a request for proposal (RFP) for the upgrade the high power consuming discharge lamps with more energy efficient LED lights, and the proposal was received by five vendors.

The country’s Cabinet approved BELCO as the successful bidder to implement the Government’s LED Streetlight Upgrade Project on March 31, 2015. A formal contract was sealed on Sept. 3, 2015.

 “This initiative represents a move towards utility-scale energy conservation, which is in alignment with the Government’s recently adopted National Electricity Sector Policy,” said Cannonier.