The St. Croix solar facility is recognized for its impact on energy infrastructure longevity in the Caribbean

NEW YORK CITY - October 17, 2019 - Today BMR Energy, a Virgin Group company and developer, owner and operator of clean energy projects in the Caribbean and Latin America, was awarded Best Resilience Project for its Spanish Town Estate Solar Restoration Project at the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) 2019 Industry Awards Ceremony. The project, located in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, was recognized for setting a precedent for resilient, renewable energy infrastructure rehabilitation and development in the region.

The solar farm has been in operation since 2015, but experienced significant damage after Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The plant's electrical equipment, including the inverters, suffered extreme water damage after a roof fan of the structure housing the equipment blew out during the hurricane. Other electronic equipment and many solar modules were severely damaged during a static surge.

BMR Energy purchased the damaged facility in order to restore it back to full operation. The group replaced electrical equipment with new outdoor-rated materials with salt- and moisture-resistant coating, installed a new roof fan, repaired the damaged module arrays and reinforced all supporting structures. The team also established new storm preparedness operating procedures to regularly check grounding systems, in preparation for future static surges. Under BMR Energy's ownership, the Spanish Town Estate returned to full operation in November 2018 and produces up to 4 MW of clean energy—enough to power 1,600 homes in St. Croix.

"We are honored to be recognized for this award and are hopeful that it represents a shift in our industry to emphasize the importance of building systems for the worst-case-scenario," said Bruce Levy, CEO of BMR Energy. "We hope that this project can serve as an example for other projects in the Caribbean, a region that is on the front lines of increasingly severe and frequent hurricanes and tropical storms."

New Energy Events, the organizers of CREF, developed the awards to acknowledge the Caribbean energy leaders who are making a lasting impact on the region's renewable energy landscape.


About BMR Energy
BMR Energy, a Virgin Group investment, is a developer, owner and operator of clean energy
projects in the Caribbean and Latin America. BMR Energy's solution-minded team brings its
industry expertise to efficiently executing projects that deliver affordable, sustainable energy
generation. For more information, visit www.bmrenergy.com.


About Virgin Group
Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognized and
respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to
grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel & transportation,
financial services, leisure & entertainment and health & wellness.

Media Contact
Regan Keller, Antenna Group for BMR Energy
BMR-Energy@antennagroup.com