Plans to maximise natural energy nears final stage

A National Energy Policy aimed at increasing St. Vincent and the Grenadines’s energy independence is in its final stages.

A multi stakeholder consultation was held by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the Organization of American States last Friday July 31, 2009 at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall to focus on the implementation of the approved National Energy Policy through an Energy Action Plan.{{more}} The consultation was held under the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Programme (CSEP) and included participation from stakeholders of Government as well as regional bodies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Leonard Deane, Director of the Energy Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office said that while St. Vincent and the Grenadines has responded well to somewhat cushion the immediate effects of the recent increase in oil prices, there is still significant work to be done. Some of this work, he added, includes the exploitation of the country’s “abundance of indigenous renewable energy resources” to make it less dependent on imports.

The energy action plan, according to Deane, will outline the activities to be accomplished, the time frame in which they should be completed and the major resources to be used.

Joseph Williams, Programme Manager of the Energy Unit at CARICOM Secretariat said that the consultation among stakeholders is a “critical step on the path towards finalization of the implementation energy policy action plan.” He added that the CARICOM Secretariat sees the consultation as fulfilling part of a mandate as it is the aim of CARICOM to create a more harmonized approach towards energy development in the Caribbean.

Dr. Jerrol Thompson, Minister of Telecommunications, Science Technology and Industry speaking on the increase in oil prices said that persons have to realize that oil prices will not return to the relatively low prices they were before. “We have to come to terms with the fact that oil prices will not return to $27 per barrel,” he said. According to him, the energy consumption of St. Vincent and the Grenadines over the past ten years has been higher than the GDP of the country. Thompson added that the Government is adamant in exploiting the renewable energy resources to “significantly reduce our need for fuel imports.”

The consultation included presentations from Leonard Deane on the National Energy Policy, an overview of the draft Energy Action Plan by Thomas M. Scheutzlich, Principal Advisor and Detlef Loy CREDP (Caribbean Renewable Energy Development Programme) consultant. A discussion on designing an appropriate sustainable energy pathway also took place with input from public and private multi sector stakeholders.(OS)