Renewables body wants ‘fair access’ to grid after new utility licence approved

The Barbados Renewable Energy Association has called for urgent guarantees of fair access and transparency in the island’s power industry after the government granted Barbados Light and Power Company a new 30‑year licence to manage the national grid.

 

BREA President Meshia Clarke also urged greater accountability from the electric utility, which on Friday signed a 30‑year licence with the Ministry of Energy.

 

While acknowledging the deal as a defining moment for Barbados’ energy future, providing long-awaited regulatory clarity and ensuring that the company has been granted the legal tools to act as an essential service provider, BREA contends that the true test lies in how the licence is implemented to guarantee fairness, transparency and accelerated renewable energy adoption.

 

Clarke said: “The finalisation of the utility licence represents both an opportunity and responsibility – an opportunity to ensure that, with the utility’s licence now in place, there is continued investment and innovation in the electricity sector by the utility; and responsibility, in terms of ensuring that the licence supports fair access to the grid, continued community participation in the sector, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises, and the recommencement of the integration of renewable energy technology onto the grid.”

 

The association therefore believes that it must now push to ensure “fair, open and equal access to the grid for all”.

 

“While BREA recognises that this will look different for each consumer of electricity, the licence must guarantee fair and timely grid interconnection for independent power producers, businesses and households. Delays or restrictive practices not only undermine national energy targets but inadvertently restrict access to the grid. With the licence now in place, the utility is well positioned to support renewable energy integration and the issuance of interconnection agreements once the grid stability issues have been sorted.”

 

Clarke conceded that Light and Power has been a noble partner so far in the energy transition, ensuring the interconnection of renewable energy systems prior to the gridlock, and that power has been provided consistently to consumers, albeit in the absence of a licence.

 

“However, strong oversight on the part of the Ministry of Energy and the Fair Trading Commission – specific to policy and regulatory issues – is essential to ensure the utility operates in alignment with national policy, and not at the expense of consumers or renewable energy investors.”

 

Schools, churches and community groups must also have pathways to participate meaningfully in the energy transition, the BREA president insisted.

 

The recent devastation of Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa provided a stark reminder of why community empowerment in the energy transition is not optional but essential, she added.

 

She said that clear reporting and public disclosure of utility performance are critical to building trust and ensuring accountability. “With the utility’s licence now in place, we must continue to foster an environment of transparency and clarity, ensuring that such public disclosures become the hallmark of the utility’s performance.”

 

The association’s spokesperson stressed that the country’s 2035 renewable energy and carbon‑neutrality targets demand urgency.

 

“The licence must drive faster adoption, not entrench outdated practices. A collaborative approach must be taken on board, bringing all stakeholders and partners together to ensure Barbados’s energy transition is realised.”
BREA said it will continue to engage stakeholders through dialogue, technical input and public education to ensure that the utility’s licence becomes a tool for inclusive growth and sustainable energy transformation, Clarke declared.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb