The Regulatory Authority has extended the deadline for submissions for an Integrated Resource Plan — the road map for Bermuda’s future energy make-up.

Given the “high level of public interest and discussion surrounding the IRP recently”, the RA said it believed it was “imperative” to extend the deadline to September 17.

The RA said that the consultation for this stage of the IRP was originally set for August 29.

Several legislative consultations take place during the plan’s process.

Deadlines set last year were for a draft proposal. The latest feedback period covers the alternative generation proposals received as part of a legislative requirement for the RA to invite their review.

Bermuda’s IRP sets out the long-term energy plan guiding the island's approach to meeting its future electricity needs through a mix of resources, including renewable energy.

The RA said that the plan represents “a critical framework to balance affordability, sustainability and security of supply for the entire country”.

Donn Foggo, the RA’s director of communications and stakeholder engagement, said: “At the RA, we place great importance on community feedback because every perspective helps shape the decisions that impact us all.

“I understand that, like many documents from the RA, the IRP can seem technical and may feel as if it is meant just for industry experts.

“However, the IRP is about the future of Bermuda’s energy, a plan that affects all of us — our homes, businesses and the energy we rely on every day.

“Your input is vital and we can only reflect the views that are shared with us. Make sure your voice is heard now, to ensure that you are not left out of the conversation later.”

The RA said that by reopening the consultation, it hopes to “reaffirm its commitment to transparency, accountability and meaningful stakeholder engagement”.

“The RA remains committed to ensuring that the development of Bermuda’s energy sector reflects the priorities of the people it serves,” the regulator said.

Belco submitted an IRP proposal to the RA in 2023.

A “preferred portfolio” proposed that the company would deliver “85 per cent renewable energy by 2040” cutting carbon emissions by 82 per cent by 2043, compared with 2022 levels.

Liquefied natural gas was also included, with a 2016 feasibility study referenced.

The study said that the earliest that engines in the East Power Station could be retrofitted to burn the fuel would be 2028.

Wayne Caines, Belco’s president, said last week that the energy company “desperately” wants to bring LNG into the mix.

The utility’s previous proposal for LNG was rejected in the RA’s last IRP, not least because of high infrastructure costs and concerns about lack of diversification in the energy market.

The Royal Gazette has reported how Belco built its North Power Station optimised for LNG despite the fuel being rejected in the earlier IRP.

The company then ran the engines on heavy fuel oil instead.

A public access to information request revealed that the RA, after pollution problems that occurred as a result of that move, said it was not worth pursuing the matter of Belco potentially having breached an order by the authority.

The RA order gave approval to Belco to procure the station while the potential breach referred to the utility optimising the station for LNG from the outset rather than waiting for the fuel to be approved in Bermuda.

All interested parties are invited to review the IRP consultation materials and make submissions before the new closing date.

Details on how to participate can be found on the RA’s website at: ra.bm/public-consultations/integrated-resource-plan-alternative-proposal-consultation-2025.