Decision time on energy, public spending, says Symmonds

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds on Tuesday presented a stark choice to Barbadians: keep spending nearly a billion dollars on fuel imports or redirect those funds towards critical developmental projects such as housing, transport, school retrofits, sports facilities and parks.

Speaking during the second reading of the bill to amend the Utilities Regulations Act, Symmonds highlighted the pressing issue of a staggering 113 per cent increase in fossil fuel import costs, emphasising its potential impact on various sectors of Barbadian society.

In 2018, the fuel import bill was $540 million rising to $914 million in 2022, he told House. Up to October this year, the country had shelled out $830 million for fuel imports.

Symmonds declared: “This country has to start to take itself seriously because the conversation the opposition elements out there want to encourage is that ‘don’t mind how much the fuel import bill goes up by, government must come in and shield you from it’.”

He urged the nation to take responsibility for its future. He criticised the reluctance of Barbadians to engage in discussions about sustainable measures like carpooling, which could alleviate the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, aligning with its goal to become fossil fuel-free by 2030.

The minister also lamented the prevailing sentiment that the government should shield the public from rising fuel costs, emphasising the need for a broader conversation about sustainable alternatives.

Reflecting on past interventions, Symmonds said: “Commonsense would dictate that if you have a $914 million expense today as opposed to $580 million when you came into government, you can’t continue to have that 113 per cent increase repeated year after year and the government would always be in a position to shield the consumer.”

The senior minister drew attention to the imminent challenges arising from such a substantial increase in fuel costs, asserting that it directly affects critical sectors like public housing, transport, healthcare, and sports facilities.

He said: “A 113 per cent increase in fuel bill imports has grim consequences for everybody in Barbados who wants to benefit from public housing. The money has to come from somewhere. There is only one pool of money.

“Do we choose to spend it on the importation of fuel and petroleum products or do we choose to spend it on improving public housing, improving public transport… ensuring that the hospital is better able to deliver services and ensuring that the sports minister can light every single playing field and put in bleachers in as many playing fields as possible?

“Those are the developmental issues from which we cannot deviate but for which we must find resources to deliver.”

Describing the current situation as a “nightmare” for Barbados, Symmonds criticised the lack of discussion on essential issues by some quarters. A former energy minister, Symmonds said decision-making must now be contemplated with climate resilience in mind and among those areas that must be addressed are commercial and tourism development, home ownership, the transformation of the sugar industry and public transport.

He noted that only three privately owned public service vehicles out of a total of 800 are electric. He also pointed out that the 150 000 vehicles on this island’s roads must be transitioned from internal combustion engines to electric drivetrains over time.

Symmonds believed that turning to competitive procurement is the answer to opening up access to storage in the renewable energy market.

He proposed competitive procurement as a viable solution to broaden access to storage in the renewable energy market, signalling a potential shift towards a more sustainable and economically efficient energy landscape for Barbados.
(SP)