Consumer advocate Tricia Watson has raised serious concerns about the newly tabled Electricity Supply Bill, warning that it could undermine transparency and end public involvement in the regulation of the Barbados Light and Power Company Limited.
On Wednesday, two days before the bill heads to the Senate, the former opposition senator warned that it would eliminate the role of intervenors in future electricity generation licensing cases.
“The bill gets rid of intervenors,” she said in a press release, suggesting it would significantly limit public oversight.
Watson accused the government of moving ahead with the legislation without sufficient public consultation. She emphasised the significance of the power industry, which she said is valued at $4 billion annually, and criticised what she described as ongoing unjustified electricity price increases.
“The Mia Mottley administration has tabled a new Electricity Supply Bill 2024 without any notice to the voters and consumers of Barbados,” Watson said in her statement.
“This development will not come as a surprise to Barbadians, whom I have urged to be vigilant and to pay close attention to what has been happening in our energy sector for the past few years. All that regular Barbadians are seeing is electricity price increases.”
Watson, a lawyer who has previously acted as an intervenor in cases involving proposed rate hikes by Light and Power, stressed the importance of the intervenor’s role in protecting consumers. She cited past efforts where intervenors demonstrated that the company’s requested rate increase was not justified.
“Intervenors proved that the rate increase was not justified,” she said. “Because of the work of intervenors, evidence started to come out that showed that the case was by no means the slam dunk that the Light and Power had been making it out to be.”
Watson also highlighted concerns over money from Light and Power’s Self-Insurance Fund being used to pay dividends to its Canadian parent company, Emera. According to her, these actions were only uncovered due to the efforts of the intervenors.
“It also diverted another $100 million in rates collected specifically for insurance purposes and paid dividends. That’s over $200 million of ratepayers’ money paid in dividends to its parent company Emera,” she said.
Further critiquing the bill, Watson said it failed to establish clear procedures for reviewing power supply licence applications, claiming it grants “sweeping, unfettered powers to the minister who, as an unelected member of Cabinet, currently does not even have to face the electorate”.
Watson also questioned the transparency surrounding electricity licences, asserting that while terms have been shared with foreign entities, Barbadians have been left uninformed.
“We have no idea what ‘such terms and conditions’ are, nor what ‘the minister considers appropriate’,” she said. “There is no transparency, no accountability, no integrity, no justice in this.”
She called on the public to demand greater openness from the government: “We, the voters and electricity ratepayers, have little choice or voice in what laws this 30-0 government passes.”
When contacted for comment, Minister of Energy Senator Lisa Cummins declined to respond to Watson’s specific accusations but said: “I will be dealing with the merits of the bill on Friday when it is brought up in Parliament.” (SM)
