STATEMENT| The Bahamas National Energy Policy 2013 – 2033 was developed to ensure that The Bahamas will have a modern, diversified, and efficient energy sector that is affordable, reliable and resilient.
This priority is reinforced in the Government’s BluePrint for Change which commits to “Ensure reliable sources of affordable, sustainable energy, and [the reduction of] the reliance on fossil fuels, and recommits The Bahamas to a minimum reliance on renewable energy of 30% by 2030.”
To assist the Government in achieving its goals, The Bahamas requires an Integrated Resource and Resilience Plan (IRRP). The Government of The Bahamas has, therefore, engaged the Caribbean Centre for Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE) to produce the IRRP and will hold Kick-Off Meetings on 22 – 23 August 2023 in the 3rd Floor Conference Room, Ministry of Finance.
CCREEE is closely linked to CARICOM and to CARICOM’s Energy Policy. This Agency will gather data in order to develop and codify the IRRP planning and processes, identify key responsibilities, set timelines for activities, and recommend criteria and standards for the development of policy and processes. In effect, it will develop the IRRP within the framework of the Bahamas National Energy Policy 2013- 2033 as the Government aggressively pursues its Renewable Energy objective.
A Project Oversight Committee (POC) comprising stakeholders involved in the energy space in the Public Sector and consultation with Private Sector stakeholders will guide the work of CCREEE.
Matters to be discussed at this meeting will include the methodology, guiding principles and high-level outcomes of the IRRP, and the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders in the process.
Participants in the meeting are expected to be: Financial Secretary Simon Wilson (Chair); CCREE Executive Director Dr. Gary Jackson and Engineer Collin Cover; Members of the Project Oversight Committee: Chair and CEO Bahamas Power and Light Shevonn Cambridge, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works Luther E. Smith, Acting Permanent Secretary Department of Local Government Neil Campbell, Director Department of Environmental Planning and Protection Dr. Rhianna Neely, Director of Regulation in the Utilities Regulations and Competition Agency Jonathan Hudson, IDB Project Team Leader Roberto Aiello, President Grand Bahama Power Company David McGregor, Executive Vice President University of The Bahamas Dr. Ian Strachan, Director of the Climate Change Unit Rochelle Newbold, and Programme Coordinator Marco Rolle. Members of Reconstruction with Resilience in the Energy Sector in The Bahamas Project will also attend: Project Manager Sharon Stuart, Electrical Engineer Specialist Alden Austin, and Government Energy Specialist Edward Darville.
