BL&P reveiwing FTC decision

THE Barbados Light and Power Company Limited (BL&P) said that it is in the process of reviewing the recent decision handed down by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) on a set of new feed-in tariffs (FITs) for renewal energy.

“The decision has just been received and the Company is in the process of reviewing it,” it said in its first reaction to the decision the Commission announced on Tuesday.

The company said it is aware that the Commission had issued a decision on the FITs, the rate at which customers are paid for the energy they produce from their
renewable energy systems.

“The FTC facilitated consultation and Light & Power participated in the process,” according to the release from the company.

Asked whether the FTC’s decision was shared with the BL&P, Director of Utility Regulation at the Commission, Dr. Marsha Atherly-Ikechi, said that was done on Monday.

“It is similarly done for the Minister responsible for the Commission as well as for the Permanent Secretary responsible for the Commission,” Dr. Atherly-Ikechi said. However, outside of that the decision is not shared with any of the other entities prior to its release.

“What we would have done is to consult in-depth with the BL&P as well as with a number of other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Finance, the Barbados Renewable Energy Association, and others,” she remarked.

The FIT programme is open to energy producers (individuals and businesses) in solar, land based wind, anaerobic digestion (biogas) and solid biomass.

Each category is broken down into sizes, with each allotted capacity basis. The Commission said that capacity will be allotted on a first come first served basis.