Government Unveils Energy Policy Update
The Ministry of Home Affairs has finalised the National Electricity Sector Policy 2026, which “sets the Government’s direction for Bermuda’s electricity sector through to 2045.”
A Government spokesperson said, “The Ministry of Home Affairs has finalised the National Electricity Sector Policy 2026.
“The finalised NESP which can be found here: www.gov.bm/articles/national-electricity-sector-policy-2026, replaces the National Electricity Sector Policy 2015 and sets the Government’s direction for Bermuda’s electricity sector through to 2045.
“The public will be aware that consultation on the policy closed on 21 May 2026.
“The 2015 policy established Bermuda’s first modern framework for the sector. In the eleven years since, the sector changed faster than the policy governing it.
“The policy arrived at a time of rapidly moving energy events. In Bermuda, new licence classes were created. Distributed generation has increased. Fuel prices moved sharply due to various geopolitical factors. This has required the evolution of a policy grounded in the community’s needs.
“The 2019 Integrated Resource Plan set a target of eighty-five per cent renewable generation by 2035, a figure produced through technical scenario work rather than declared as policy and never established as the least-cost pathway. The distance between the policy and the approved plan carried uncertainty into every investment decision that followed and placed tangible burdens on those who pay for electricity.
“The NESP 2026 is intentionally technology agnostic. It endorses no generation technology in advance and prescribes no deployment schedule. Every resource option is compared on a levelised cost of electricity basis through the Integrated Resource Plan, and the shift to lower carbon generation proceeds where it holds or reduces rates against the business as usual case.
“Affordability is a requirement linked to measurable customer outcomes rather than an ambition. The policy fixes the 2025 average retail tariff as the reference point against which future tariff performance is assessed.”
“Affordability is structural, and this policy treats it that way,” said Minister of Home Affairs Alexa Lightbourne. “Every pathway is costed before it is adopted. Bermudians for too long have carried the price of plans that were never tested against the bill at the end of the month.”
A Government spokesperson added, “Policy milestones will be agreed, as informed by data. The Regulatory Authority first derives candidate pathways through least-cost modelling. The Minister then declares the milestone by Ministerial declaration under section 7[2] of the Electricity Act 2016, stating the aggregate figure, the checkpoint years, and the evidence relied on. The Authority determines the annual pathway, the procurement volumes, and the technology mix through the Integrated Resource Plan. That sequence follows established practice in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, sized for Bermuda’s grid and institutions.
“What has changed since 2015:
- “Planning authority: The Integrated Resource Plan will be developed and approved by the Regulatory Authority in collaboration with sectoral participants, in place of the previous arrangement once amended in law.
- “Costed pathways: Renewable deployment proceeds where technologies are cost effective and deliverable. Targets are set on evidence and reviewed at each planning cycle.
- “Equity between customers: Tariffs must reflect the true cost of service so that grid-reliant customers do not carry the costs created by distributed generation.
- “Shared ownership: A Community and Cooperative Energy Licence is proposed, opening renewable participation to renters, apartment dwellers, low-income households, and small businesses.
- “Transport: Electric vehicles are treated as a driver of electricity sales and tariff stability, supported by a dedicated tariff, smart charging, and battery end-of-life planning.
- “Energy security: The policy carries an explicit Energy Security Statement covering import dependency, fuel diversification, and storage.
- “Workforce: Renewable energy installers will be licensed and certified nationally, with training pathways delivered through the Department of Workforce Development.
- “Accountability: The Regulatory Authority will publish an implementation schedule within six months, a progress report each year, and an interim report at the mid-point of each review cycle.
“Minister Lightbourne confirmed that delivery will be measured publicly.”
She concluded, “This policy advances energy democracy. The renter, the family in an apartment, and the small business owner should all be able to take part in renewable generation and share in what it returns. We are advancing a just energy transition; inclusive participation, social and economic opportunity, community empowerment, and environmental and climate justice.”
A Government spokesperson added, “Members of the public can view the finalised NESP at either of these links: www.gov.bm/ministry/home-affairs of here www.gov.bm/articles/national-electricity-sector-policy-2026.”
So, the really bright LED bulbs came on, and the Government realized how wrong its policies were and called a Mulligan. No push for offshore wind, just vaguely mentioned as a “renewable” energy source.
Did not see any mention of how the Government will make up for lost fuel taxes by going green. And look, no definition of “climate change” in 13.3 Definitions.
But hey, all Ministers were given taxpayer-funded electric cars to save the planet.