A government senator has stoutly defended the removal of the word “intervenors” from the new Electricity Supply Bill 2024 which faced some criticism on Friday when it was debated in the Senate.
The island has had a long history of robust contributions from intervenors in public utility rate adjustment applications and related matters. However, Senator Gregory Nicholls told the Upper House that the public interests would still be defended under the new legislation.
At the same time, he insisted that critical data of investors, both local and foreign, needed to be protected.
“We have heard a lot of criticism of the bill in the short time that it was put on Parliament’s website for our consideration, about the whole question of the absence of intervenors,” he stated. “Provision was made for an opportunity to be given to interested parties during the period in which applications for licences are made to make representations to the minister or objections.”
Nicholls added: “All of a sudden, we hear the criticism [that] the public interest is not going to be adequately represented because the government has taken this on.
“Now, you want to put photovoltaic panels on your roof. What public interest element is there in giving someone the ability to go to the minister to object or make representations in relation to your licence? What is the public interest there? I understand the public interest in relation if you had an electrical supplier, like the public utility, which has obligations under the Fair Trading Commission Act and the Utility Regulation Act in the performance of the delivery of the service. What public interest is there at the application for a licence to supply electricity? In a fair competitive market, we’re not talking monopolies.”
The government senator and attorney-at-law said the country could not plan a future that was based on fossil fuels, and it had to encourage investors who bring technology that exploits the wind, sun, and waves.
“Now, I understand if there are environmental impact considerations because those are dealt with at the town planning stage. You still require town planning permission to erect these installations,” he said.
Nicholls argued that to give the impression that the removal of intervenors at the stage of issuance of a licence to operate electrical supply systems “is now some great problem for the people of Barbados” did not reflect the provisions of the bill.
“This is a process of applying for a licence to supply electricity, whether it is through generation, transmission, distribution, storage and things of the like,” he outlined. (IMC1)
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