NASSAU, Bahamas -- Minister of Energy and Transport the Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis said the Electricity Bill, 2024 and the Natural Gas Bill, 2024 are both intended to positively impact the energy sector, which continues to present the country with challenges.  

“These positive impacts include the enhancement of socio-economic welfare with communities, the transformation of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) – our nation’s primary electricity provider, the reshaping of governance policies, and even promoting a deeper understanding of the use and importance of energy resources,” the Minister said during her Contribution to the Bills in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.  

“The Government of The Bahamas is committed to the promotion of access to affordable and sustainable energy for all Bahamians – this includes our households, small and medium businesses, large businesses, churches, and a wide range of other community establishments.”  She explained that energy is the lifeblood of development.   

The Energy Minister said development is about reducing poverty and about increasing access to basic needs to allow people the freedom to grow and thrive.   

She said communities do not exist in a vacuum, but can be strengthened or weakened by government policies, laws, and institutions.   

The Minister said, “As leaders, it is incumbent on us to develop an energy policy that addresses the fierce urgency of now.  “And what is the fierce urgency of now, one may ask?  Simply put, it is the need for greater energy efficiency and to pull the energy sector out of crisis.”  

She said, “For households, like the Rolle family in Elizabeth Estates, the Johnson family in East Street, the Miller family in Lowe Sound, Andros, and the Gibson family in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera, it means promoting an efficient sector to reduce the cost of electricity bills, which will then increase disposable income.   

“For businesses, like Tropical Gyros on New Providence, Da Valley Restaurant in Fox Town, Abaco, New Bight Food Store in Cat Island, it means pursuing measures to ensure a consistent supply of electricity to avoid products and goods going bad because of frequent and long hours of load shedding.

The Energy Minister noted that the Government is fully aware of the importance of preserving an appropriate balance between energy supply and demand.   

“We are also aware of our primary role as a policy maker and our secondary role as a facilitator in the supply of energy services.   

“As a matter of priority, we believe that the Government must establish a national energy policy which will ensure that energy systems are adequately established to cater to the needs of our nation.”

She said energy should therefore be available to all citizens at an affordable cost and therefore lead to an improvement of the standard of living for all our citizens.

The Minister said energy production and distribution should be sustainable as the country moves to low carbon and renewable energy sources.

She added that lastly, electricity should be reliable so the government needs to invest in the grid to ensure it can resist extreme weather and replace aging generation to avoid a lack of supply.  

Minister of Energy and Transport the Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis made her Contribution to the Electricity Bill, 2024 and the Natural Gas Bill, 2024 in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.  

(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)