If Government is to achieve its target of having Barbados transition to be the first 100 per cent green and carbon neutral island-state in the world by 2030, then it must walk hand in hand with the private sector, civil society and academia, in a strategic partnership.
Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Wilfred Abrahams acknowledged the above, as he delivered remarks during a High Level Insurance and Financial Sector Meeting hosted by the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) in partnership with his Ministry, the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus and the German International Development Corporation. That high level meeting was held at the 3W’s Pavilion at the UWI, Cave Hill Campus yesterday.
“We need to pull together. The government has a perspective on the way things should go, but our perspective is informed by our Ministries, but we can’t do it alone. While we control the policy in relation to energy and where we are going in the renewable energy sector, the fact is we still need a lot of the other players, including those in investment and including those in insurance, to actually help us to deliver on that,” Minister Abrahams remarked.
As such, he stressed that his Ministry looks forward to working harmoniously with all stakeholders, to address the energy challenges and to deliver a sustainable future for the benefit of all Barbadians.
“Our energy challenge is not a simple one, but it is one which must be faced head-on. We are all aware of the stifling effect our fuel import bill has on the local economy and there is no divergence of opinions on the solution, (which is) invest in more efficient and sustainable options now. We recognise that substantive investment will not be forthcoming without the appropriate enabling environment and we are committed to providing it,” he pointed out.
Abrahams meanwhile indicated that the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is embarking on several initiatives, including a comprehensive review of the Electric Light and Power Act, with a view to facilitating a more streamlined and efficient process for the issue of licences.
“I can assure you Ladies and Gentlemen, that the days of an investor waiting several months to know whether his application to establish, for example, a distributed 100 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system will be successful, will be a remnant of the past.
Similarly I can assure the utility that it will not have to wait years for a decision, on a new licence. We simply cannot have a situation where large Independent Power Producers are held back from investing in renewable energy, because the utility’s franchise ends in 2028,” Abrahams maintained.
Furthermore, he said, a situation cannot continue to exist, where there are still temporary rates for renewable energy.
“In this regard, I expect to within the next month take a Paper to Cabinet, to commence the process to have permanent rates for grid-tied renewable energy systems,” the Minister announced.
“In this regard, I have requested my technocrats to as a matter of urgency, to produce a revised National Energy Policy, which clearly shows the revised target of 2030,” Minister Abrahams later assured.