Bajans urged to face fossil fuel reckons as govt signals phase-out of petrol, diesel imports

Barbados must urgently confront the fate of fossil fuel vehicles as the country accelerates its drive towards renewable energy, ministers warned on Friday, signalling that the day is approaching when diesel and petrol vehicles will no longer be imported.

The issue arose during Friday’s Estimates in the House of Assembly for the Ministry of Energy, Business Development and Commerce when Minister of Transport and Works, Kirk Humphrey, voiced concern about how the growing number of electric vehicles and buses could strain the national grid, and which agencies would monitor the transition.

References in the ministry’s Estimates to electric buses, vehicle‑to‑grid systems and other renewable energy initiatives suggested that the island could soon face serious infrastructure and regulatory challenges, said Humphrey.

He questioned which authorities would track the pace of the transition and respond if demand from electric vehicles outstripped the grid’s capacity to cope.

Minister of Energy Kerrie Symmonds said the shift away from fossil fuels would require sustained dialogue between government and the private sector.

He said: “This is where I think a certain element of, perhaps, reset, but definitely dialogue has to take place. I don’t want to just use the word reset, because I am not entirely sure the extent to which some of these things have been happening during the last, under the last minister, who was doing a number of different things in this sector.”

Symmonds explained that while the Fair Trading Commission would have a role in oversight, the ministry itself must act as the primary market monitor to determine how much renewable energy the system can absorb.

“The FTC has a role to play, but it is, by no stretch of the imagination, the be‑all and end‑all of this question of how we monitor what the market is going to be able to bear, and how much renewable energy can come on, that is really going to have to be done by the ministry itself as market monitor.”

He pointed out that while Barbados is pushing towards a renewable energy future, traditional fuel‑powered vehicles continue to enter the market.

“As recently as this morning, I have no doubt, people would have gone to buy a brand‑new car, and that brand‑new car is operating off diesel or gas.”

However, he said the island would eventually reach a point where such vehicles would no longer be imported as Barbados works towards its climate goals.

With Barbados committed to becoming fossil fuel‑free by 2035, Symmonds said policymakers must also consider how existing vehicles will operate once traditional fuels disappear.

“We have a commitment to be entirely fossil fuel free by 2035. We’re in 2026 now. So let us assume that happened in 2034 that we said that that vehicle is still a relatively young vehicle. So we have to be looking at these things and then thinking in terms of how we fuel that vehicle, because there ain’t gonna be no more diesel.”

Discussions on alternative options, including biofuels, must therefore form part of the transition strategy, he said.

“So the biofuel discussion has to take place. And those are some of the conversations that we have started to have.”

Symmonds also signalled plans to deepen engagement with vehicle importers to ensure businesses have sufficient time to adjust to the changing market.

“I want to know that all importers of vehicle in Barbados, large or small, must be on board with what it is that we’re trying to do, because I do not want to hear that at the last minute, people are crying out saying, oh gosh, this is an interruption to my business.”

He stressed that the shift away from fossil fuels would involve complex adjustments across the economy.

“There are many moving parts in this conversation, but it is a journey of national transformation, and it is going to require a lot of discussion and forbearance on both sides, because government has not always got it right and will not always get it right. But equally, we have to be giving the private sector an opportunity to plan ahead and make the necessary adjustments and have a proper window to do that.”

Project Director within the ministry’s project monitoring and coordination team, Delano Scantlebury, told Parliament that limited staffing has hindered monitoring of the Barbados National Energy Policy.

“In relation to monitoring and in terms of the policies of government, the project monitoring and coordination team is made up of two persons, myself and a senior technical officer. We have been challenged.”

The latest budget includes resources to expand the team, adding that two technical officers and additional staff will be recruited to strengthen monitoring and coordination.

Scantlebury reported that Barbados has achieved about 16 per cent execution of its national energy policy targets so far, but expects progress to accelerate through several major projects.