OBA’s Dwayne Robinson On IRP Pause & More
“The Government has been unable to provide a concrete direction on energy,” OBA MP Dwayne Robinson said.
Mr Robinson, the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, said, “During the last House of Assembly question and answer period, I asked the Minister of Home Affairs if she was aware that the Integrated Resource Plan 2026 had been approved by the Regulatory Authority and published on their website. She responded that the Ministry was unaware.
“This is a major oversight and potential breach of legality. The Electricity Amendment Act 2026 grants the Minister the authority to pause an Integrated Resource Plan [IRP] when in the planning phase, before it becomes a finalized IRP. How was a pause of the IRP put into motion after it had been finalized since July 3, 2026, and made available to the public?
“The Minister has made it clear that the reason for the pause was to implement their agenda and National Electricity Sector Policy 2026 objectives into the IRP 2026. That appears to be impossible now. The Government has been unable to provide a concrete direction on energy with a change in policy concerning renewable energy targets, an unfinalized National Electricity Sector Policy 2026, and a ministerial directive to the Regulatory Authority for billing transparency from Belco which has led to solar users feeling betrayed based on Government’s previous encouragement of the solar transition.
“Meanwhile throughout all this Bermudians remain unsure about our island’s energy future and their bills continue to increase. The Minister of Home Affairs has made it clear that the reason she paused the IRP was to implement the Government’s affordability agenda and National Electricity Sector Policy 2026 objectives into the IRP 2026.
“That appears to be impossible now until the next IRP planning phase. How long will Bermudians wait for a concrete direction? As Parliament is adjourned until September 4, I call on the Minister to please clarify the legality of the pausing of the IRP she announced on July 17, 2026, via Ministerial Statement.
“If this was an oversight and the pause is unable to take place, what will the Government’s next steps be? Bermudians should not have to wait until September for an explanation on this critical development.”
In retrospect, this “pause” is a good thing for Bermuda. It is a silent admission of the Government’s failed green policies, but without NEW green policies.
As a reminder, the Government’s push for people to buy EVs has no plan to replace lost fuel tax revenue with another tax source. In a video conference, RMI, the consultants brought in to justify the EV push, passed the buck to the Ministry of Finance to figure out. Crickets from the Ministry of Finance. The Government’s purchasing of heavy electric buses has no plan to upgrade the roads to handle damage from the extra weight of the buses and civilian EVs.
All the primary roads will have to be repaved in the future to support the weight of all the electric buses and cars the Government wants on the road. Using 140 miles of paved public roads, estimating 50% of main/major roads is 70 miles. Using $750,000 to $1,000,000 per mile TODAY comes out as $52.5 to $70 MILLION! Naturally, the cost in the future will be more.
Let’s face it, the Government has trouble figuring out how to manually operate a light switch, which is why many rooms in government buildings have installed taxpayer-funded motion sensors to turn the lights on and off. However, the Government loves to figure out taxpayer-paid freebies for itself, like FREE EVs for the Ministers. One wonders what green freebies are next. Perhaps overseas fact-finding trips a few weeks before Christmas?
Since floating solar farms seem to be the next green thing, and the Government loves Chinese things like electric buses and associated frequent flyer miles, perhaps trips to China to see its floating solar farms – like the one that was recently destroyed – are the next step.
China’s $1.5B Offshore Solar Farm Devastated by Typhoon Bavi
On July 13, 2026, Typhoon Bavi — a Category 4 super typhoon — struck the coastal province of Zhejiang in eastern China, causing widespread damage to photovoltaic facilities. Among the hardest-hit was a major offshore solar power project in Wenzhou with an estimated 11 billion yuan ($1.5 billion USD) investment.
Perhaps Bermuda can be the leader in developing floating solar farms that can be quickly retracted/folded up into secure storage areas when hurricanes are going to hit. Naturally, those storage areas would be on land owned by politicians’ family & friends. By all the King Georges, I think I nailed it!