Investing in costly infrastructure that risks locking Bermuda into the use of fossil fuels for years to come is a “legitimate concern”, the Minister of Home Affairs has said.

Alexa Lightbourne provided a statement in response to a submission made to The Royal Gazette by environmental charity Greenrock on the Government’s renewed National Electricity Sector Policy consultation document released on April 16.

Greenrock intends to make a formal submission to the consultation once it has reviewed the policy in further detail.

Ms Lightbourne added that “distributed solar and efficiency” were among the best ways to reduce fuel imports and stabilise household bills in Bermuda.

The new energy policy seeks to slash previous targets of producing 85 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2035 to instead producing 93 per cent from fossil fuels in 2030.

It said the new targets were more realistic than the 2035 scenario set out by the Regulatory Authority in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan following publication of the last energy policy in 2015 — and said that cost, reliability and equal access were the new policy’s guiding principles.

In its submission to the Gazette this week, Greenrock highlighted “the risk of long-term lock-in of fossil fuel infrastructure” at a time when renewables could offer a lower-cost approach.

The environmental group said the “combined potential for wind and solar, battery storage, electric vehicles and dynamic tariffs is reaching a tipping point”.

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The National Electricity Sector Policy April 2026.pdf

Ms Lightbourne said in her response: “Infrastructure lock-in is a legitimate concern.

“The ministry's position is that procurement and investment decisions must be tested against transparent least-cost pathways, reviewed by the RA under strengthened audit powers and measured against the Integrated Resource Plan [IRP].

“Lock-in is managed through process and oversight.”

The renewed policy said it “remains technologically agnostic”, meaning it does not endorse or discourage any particular energy mix, may it be through liquefied natural gas [LNG] adoption, wind procurement, expanded solar bulk generation or any other economically feasible technology.

It added: “This can include technologies such as wave or tidal if proven economical after being tested through the Innovation Licence or certified commercially viable.

“Instead, the policy prioritises the stabilisation of tariffs.”

Last summer, Belco president Wayne Caines said the utility “desperately” wished to pursue the fossil fuel LNG.

LNG was rejected by the Regulatory Authority in the 2019 IRP, the blueprint for the island’s future energy mixture, which said there was little public support for it.

The Gazette asked Belco for its latest position on LNG and was directed to a new video on its Facebook page, narrated by Mr Caines.

In it, he said: “Reducing emissions is non-negotiable but how we get there has to be grounded in what actually works for an isolated island grid.”

Mr Caines highlighted the company’s push for more battery energy storage systems and solar.

However, he added: “We are also actively exploring cleaner bridge fuels that can reduce our dependence on heavy fuel oil, cut emissions and deliver meaningful cost relief to customers while we build out our renewable capacity over time.”

Ms Lightbourne said: “Distributed solar and efficiency are among the most effective tools Bermuda has to reduce fuel imports and stabilise household bills.

“Their continued expansion requires tariff design that protects consumer benefit, fair compensation for grid services and a modernised grid capable of absorbing distributed generation safely.

“These work streams sit with the RA and will advance alongside the legislative amendments.”

Greenrock had previously written in its submission to the Gazette: “Distributed solar and energy efficiency have proven to be among the island’s most effective tools for reducing reliance on imported fuels and protecting households and businesses from price volatility.”

Chris Worboys, Greenrock’s renewable energy project lead, told the Gazette this week that policy should establish appropriate guardrails “to mitigate the risk of structural lock-in to any single large fossil fuel energy source”.

Ms Lightbourne said in her response: “Least-cost outcomes are shaped by policy, regulation and procurement design.

“They are not discovered by a single utility acting alone. The ministry's policy positions procurement as the mechanism through which competitive and transparent processes reduce the cost of capital, shorten the path to deployment and subject investment decisions to independent review.

“The policy contemplates the transfer of IRP governance from Belco to the RA, and the introduction of mandatory audit powers over fuel and capital costs that preserves regulatory independence while reinforcing accountability.”

She said the ministry remained open to all feedback, adding: “All submissions received will inform final policy drafting, the IRP cycle and the regulatory instruments that give the policy operational force. The ministry invites further written engagement from stakeholders as the consultation advances.”

Feedback can be submitted at forum.gov.bm/en/projects/nesp-2026.

Consultation ends on May 4.

• To read the policy, see Related Media