Legislation granting ministerial powers over the Integrated Resource Plan was crafted to correct an “imbalance” within the island’s energy sector, the Minister of Home Affairs said.

Alexa Lightbourne also took a swipe at Belco in an op-ed when she said “for too long, one entity's voice has remained the loudest”.

The minister said the duty of an elected government was to serve the public and that the structure set out in the Electricity Act 2016 “was built around an entity with entrenched Bermudian interest”.

Her comments follows the passage of the Electricity Amendment Bill 2026, which was greenlighted by the Senate this week following a vote.

Ms Lightbourne: “For too long, one entity's voice has remained the loudest. That is the imbalance this law works to correct.

“When planning works against the policy the public has chosen, the work is done twice, the delay compounds and the bill increases.

“Industry set against the settled direction of the people serves no one and it will drive the price of power higher.”

Ms Lightbourne said the Regulatory Authority remained the entity empowered to oversee the sector.

She said the utility “builds, runs and maintains the grid”.

“The Government's task is to set the public's direction and to keep the plan honest to the people who pay for it.

“Each part and every stakeholder matters. None can carry the whole alone.”

The Opposition in the Senate and Wayne Caines, the president of Belco, have criticised the legislation and claim it is ministerial interference.

Kim Wilkerson, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, told the Upper House that a legal review of the legislation was complemented by “robust” discussions in Cabinet before it was crafted.

Ms Lightbourne told the House of Assembly last week that the powers prescribed in the amendment “do not create wholesale ministerial discretion”.

She said her input would be required in “specific circumstances”, while prioritising the public’s interest.