Statement by Dwayne Robinson, Shadow Minister of Home & Community Affairs:
The National Electricity Sector Policy (NESP) 2026 has charted a course for the future of Bermuda’s energy. However, with the Minister of Home Affairs issuing a suspension of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2026, the investment window for implementing the objectives of NESP 2026 could be missed.
With the potential legality challenges of the IRP suspension instituted by the Minister, Bermudians need to receive a timeline on when the revised IRP 2026 will be finalized and when they can expect relief regarding their energy bills.
Bermudians continue to grapple with substantial electricity costs. The Government has committed to prioritize renewable energy in our resource mix. However solar customers have reported seeing increases of $250 and up on their Belco bills after making a large investment in solar panels, trusting that they were helping the island’s renewable energy goals and securing lower bills for their families. How will the Government renew the public sentiment in solar, when current users are considering removing their solar panels?
Meanwhile non-solar customers bear the brunt of maintaining the electrical grid and the fluctuations of energy consumption demands, waiting for the promised relief from the PLP government for the last 9 years and beyond.
Why should Bermudians continue to pay more for Progressive Labour Party indecision and poor leadership in the energy sector? Bermuda’s energy transition to more renewable energy will require a lot of investment. How will we acquire the necessary investment if Government continues to shift its benchmarks and reserves the right to override a finalized IRP process?
Bermuda needs Belco to invest in utility wide solar to reduce customers’ exposure to external price shocks. Solar energy needs to be more widely accessible, such as plug in solar panels that are being utilized overseas.
The working population needs to increase so that the costs to maintain the electrical grid can be spread across more people, with less Ministerial interference in the IRP process.
I am happy to see the Minister’s proposal for the Regulatory Authority to be strengthened to better regulate in the consumers favour and to have more ownership over the IRP planning process. However, if the Minister retains the power to override our independent regulator, the process is not truly independent.
