‘NOTHING TO HIDE’
Sun, 07/31/2016 - 12:00am
Deltro Solar will not hurt the local renewable energy industry, but enhance it.
Insisting there was nothing underhanded in the dealings with his company and the Government, Chief Financial Officer of the Deltro Group, Dean Del Mastro, insisted that there will be full transparency throughout the process of setting up and running the business as “we have nothing to hide”.
He stated that the intention of the company was for Barbadians to take ‘ownership’ by producing and exporting solar panels and bringing foreign exchange earnings into the island.
“Deltro Group is a Barbados-based company; Deltro Solar is a Barbados-based company. We have bank accounts in Barbados, we are building in Barbados, we are exporting from Barbados, we are bringing in US dollars and paying people in Barbados dollars, but we are a Barbados company. We are not here to compete with small installers, we are here to partner with small installers and help them make their business better. We will be their resource point. We will also provide access to panels for you at market rates and prevent you from having to do things like keep major amounts of inventory in stock, you can buy it directly from us and a benefit of that will be that opposed to buying panels from China, which employs no one in Barbados, you will actually be buying panels that your neighbour produced or that your neighbour’s kid produced or maybe that your kid produced,” he said.
Fielding several comments on and criticisms from a small audience during a public information session at the National Conservation Commission on Thursday night on the company’s intention to set up a solar farm in Waterford, including those from Managing Director of Solar Watt Systems Josh Hunte, Del Mastro insisted that the company was not asking for any extras on top of the concessions already offered to those in the industry.
“All concessions we would receive are those outlined in the legislation,” he assured.
One audience member, was a very vocal Sugar cane farmer Patrick Bethel, who noted that he was still awaiting payment by government, which had compulsorily acquired some of the the land on which the 70-acre solar farm is to be created.
Acquired during the time of the Arthur administration, he questioned whether there would still be the creation of a Botanical Garden as had been proposed during that time. (JMB)