Pembroke residents yesterday protested outside the Cabinet Office against plans for two new Belco power stations and said the deadline for objections should be extended.

More than 20 protestors came with placards to argue that the planning application was a national, not just local, issue.

Denise Riviere, 36, said: "This is not just a community issue but an Island issue. Government should be looking at energy from a national perspective. Belco should not be dictating how to do this."

Miss Riviere said that up to 80 people had attended a public meeting on Thursday and decided to stage the protest the next morning.

The protest drew Premier Dr. Ewart Brown out of the building, who asked them: "Why are you here and not at Belco?"

He said any idea in the community that Government had pre-approved the plans was "absolutely incorrect".

Some objectors have claimed that the plans were presented to Cabinet and were not objected to, but The Royal Gazette has been unable to confirm this.

But Stuart Hayward, chairman of the Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce (BEST), said: "The Premier questions why we are at Cabinet. I'll tell him why. There are several roles the Government could be playing and should be playing, but they are failing to do so.

"Somebody needs to look out for the public interest and that's the role Government should be playing."

Calling for a long-term energy plan, he said the two new power stations would "tie Bermuda in to 20 (further) years dependency on oil".

The deadline for written objections to the plans was 5 p.m. yesterday, and the Planning Department will now examine the application in detail.

Residents had asked for an extension to the deadline, but this was refused, with the Department saying it had to abide by the 14-day rule.

Miss Riviere, a business consultant, said: "We feel a project of this magnitude which impacts on so many people should have an extension.

"The reason why we went to Cabinet and not Belco was because we thought it was a national issue. It's not just for Belco to address but for the Government to address for the Island.

"We just want the Island to look at a national energy plan. We need more studies into what the alternatives are."

She said residents were already exposed to noise, vibration, soot and odours from the Serpentine Road smoke stacks and generators.

"A lot of people in the community are suffering. The smoke is full of black particles and it gets into our drinking water because it falls on our roofs," said Miss Riviere. "We feel the proposals for three more smoke stacks and two generators are just completely unacceptable. Not only is it a health risk but it will also devalue property in the area."

James Hallett, a 48-year-old investment manager, said: "The size of the development is significant, it is a quarter of a billion dollar project over 23 years, and yet Belco has asked for final approval by the end of February. So it does seem ridiculous that as residents we only have two weeks to evaluate the proposals.

"Wayne Perinchief (Community and Cultural Affairs Minister and PLP candidate for Pembroke Central) also asked for an extension but this was turned down," he said.

"We would like to see some sort of committee or board to look at a national energy strategy for Bermuda and to decentralise the Belco generating plan. It's an unacceptable risk for the country to have everything in one place (at the plant in Pembroke). It should be distributed.

"We also need to ensure Bermuda looks at alternative energy more aggressively – we are not doing enough to isolate our people from the rising cost of oil."

Mr. Hallett added residents may now petition Government against the plans.

Belco aims to build the two new power stations in an eight-phase development over 23 years. The $200 million project will require the closure of Cemetery Road for nine years.

The proposed North and South Power Stations will add another three emissions stacks to the skyline. If the first phase of the Planning application is approved, construction is due to start next summer.

Belco says it must meet a deadline of providing another 28 megawatts of electricity by 2011, to meet a projected 1.5 percent annual increase in demand.