According to the Jamaica Observer, renewable energy for The Bahamas is 8 to 18 months away from implementation, with the framework and legislation to be worked out throughout the second quarter of 2011.

At a preliminary meeting of the Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum, Water and Sewerage Acting General Manager Glen Laville explained, “The national energy policy committee is essentially finishing their second report. Once that is done it goes to Cabinet [and] once that policy is approved, along with the sustainable energy plant, then we can start getting that into implementation.”

He said discussions with stakeholders were taking place in terms of getting all the regulatory reforms in place, which include an independent regulator and a renewable energy act, among other actions. In the first eight months there will be consideration of approvals of the framework and the legislation. Laville also noted that certain parts of the legislation may be implemented earlier than others: “For instance, you may have a renewable energy act that may be able to come earlier than say a new energy law. Then you have to give [the Utilities Regulations and Competition Authority] time to resource itself to regulate the sector, whether or not there are interim things to do.”

For full article, see http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/Bahamas-turns-to-renewable-energy-_8057401

For more information on renewable energy initiatives, see http://cipore.org/strengthening-the-energy-sector-in-the-bahamas/, http://www.bahamapundit.com/2008/04/bahamas-pursuin.html, and http://renewable-bahamas.com/