However, CBP&L has declined to disclose the name of the company until feasibility studies have been completed.

General Manager Jonathan Tibbetts said these studies would begin as soon as the Cabinet signs an agreement that these may be carried out using the government communications tower on the Bluff opposite the Aston Rutty Civic Centre.

They do have verbal approval already, said Mr Tibbetts, noting that the US company has agreed to be responsible for the study, and no government funds are being requested.

What they are asking for is a small space on the tower for an anemometer (to measure wind speed and direction) and a data log, which will transmit information in real time to the company headquarters for analysis.

The US company plans to log data for three months using the communications tower, and correlate this with data gathered at the Gerrard Smith International Airport over a number of years.

In this way, they claim they would be able to get an accurate analysis of wind speed over a fifteen year period. Using the airport data would drastically reduce the length of time needed for the feasibility study, said Mr Tibbetts.

The style of tower used by the un-named US company is an “egg beater” or Darrieus wind turbine, which consists of a number of aerofoils mounted on a rotating shaft or framework.

Unlike the more common type of generator which uses a propeller, the Darrieus generator rotates around the vertical axis rather than the horizontal one, and is thus referred to as a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine.

This style can pick up wind from any direction and is, therefore, more efficient than the propeller generators that have a twenty percent range that they are unable to pick up wind from, said Mr Tibbetts.

Groundbreaking for the new CBP&L plant on the Bluff will be on 4 January 2007, and, if plans go ahead, the wind turbine, which would take six months to erect and install, would be situated close by and within the proposed business resilience park, UpTown.

At the highest point, the wind tower would be 199 feet high, low enough so that it would not interfere with FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) height requirements, and would be set back 1,000 to 1,500 feet from the edge of the Bluff.

The first turbine, and any other wind turbines they add in the future, would have a five-acre buffer zone so the noise does not disturb neighbours, and as a safety area in case of damage. The blades can be lowered in the event of a hurricane, noted Mr Tibbetts.

If the feasibility study produces favourable results, the US company would set up the wind tower and CBP&L would buy whatever power it generates.

At maximum efficiency, one tower would produce about 200 kilowatts of energy, about ten percent needed for Cayman Brac, which has a population of approximately 1,800.

If all goes well, CBP&L would then negotiate for more towers, and the plan is to eventually have enough to supply most of the power needed on the Island, though Mr Tibbetts emphasized that this is long term planning.

“The goal is to use alternative energy for environmental reasons and also to alleviate the dependency on fossil fuels. Customers can expect a significant drop in their fuel bills over a period of time as the towers prove their efficiency,” he said.

This reduction on the cost of electricity would increase as more towers are added and the CBP&L diesel generators are used less.

However, even when most of the power is generated by wind, they would still have to keep one generator running to ensure seamless supply of electricity.

“This development will benefit the Island more than anyone can imagine,” said Mr Tibbetts. “This is new technology and we are going to need people with training.

“CBP&L already has a professional development programme in place, and we would love to see local people take this opportunity to train for the new careers that will open up as a result,” he added.

nicky@caymannetnews.com