By Deandrea Hamilton

PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands — Electricity customers across the Turks and Caicos Islands are being warned to brace for higher power bills in the coming weeks as Pelican Energy TCI says turmoil in global fuel markets is driving up the cost of generating electricity.

In a statement issued on May 28, the utility advised that international fuel prices have risen sharply due to instability in parts of the Middle East and the resulting pressure on global energy supply chains. The company says those higher fuel costs are expected to impact the fuel factor rate applied to electricity bills beginning in June and July.

According to Pelican Energy, the fuel factor rate is projected to increase from approximately 17.5 cents to 31.1 cents per kilowatt-hour, an increase that could add between $15 and $140 per month to residential electricity bills, depending on how much electricity a household consumes.

The company stressed that the increase is not tied to its base electricity rate and does not represent a decision by the utility to raise prices.

“The projected increase is not the result of a change to the electric rate (base rate) or utility pricing decisions but is the direct result of international fuel price movements beyond the utility’s control,” the company explained.

Pelican noted that fuel used to generate electricity is purchased in advance to ensure a reliable power supply. Because of that purchasing cycle, changes in global oil prices can take several weeks before they are reflected on customer bills.

The timing is particularly challenging for consumers because the increase coincides with the start of the summer season, when higher temperatures typically lead to increased electricity use for air conditioning and cooling.

Pelican President Devon Cox acknowledged the impact the higher costs will have on households and businesses already facing cost-of-living pressures.

“We recognize the challenges that rising fuel prices place on households and businesses, particularly at a time when cost-of-living concerns remain front of mind. We do not take these impacts lightly and remain committed to working closely with the TCI Government, our key stakeholders, and our customers.”

The utility says it is simultaneously accelerating investments in renewable energy projects aimed at reducing long-term dependence on imported fuel.

Cox pointed to several initiatives now underway, including utility-scale renewable energy installations in Providenciales, new microgrid developments on sister islands following the successful completion of the North Caicos solar-plus-battery project, and the continued expansion of rooftop solar partnerships.

“These investments are expected to significantly reduce reliance on imported fuel over time and help stabilize energy prices for our customers,” Cox said.

South Caicos customers are expected to experience the higher fuel factor rate first, while customers on other islands will likely see the increase reflected in bills issued at the end of July.

Pelican is encouraging residents and businesses to monitor their electricity usage closely, take advantage of energy conservation measures and use the company’s online bill estimation tools to better understand how the higher fuel factor could affect monthly expenses.

For consumers, the message is straightforward: while the increase may appear on local electricity bills, Pelican Energy says the cause lies thousands of miles away in global energy markets.

Turks and Caicos, June 1, 2026 – No one thought that a premier who had been so fiercely defended by supporters and so widely celebrated across the Caribbean for helping to transform the Turks and Caicos Islands would one day be looking out at the country he once led from behind prison walls.

Yet that is the reality confronting former Premier Michael Misick following Friday’s sentencing in the long-running corruption prosecution that has shaped political discourse in the Turks and Caicos Islands for nearly two decades.

Before the transactions, decisions and conduct that ultimately led to convictions, Michael Misick was widely regarded as one of the most influential political figures in modern Turks and Caicos history. During his tenure as leader of the Progressive National Party government, the country experienced unprecedented levels of investment, development and international attention. To supporters, he was a visionary and relentless leader. To critics, he became the face of a government whose actions ultimately triggered allegations of corruption, abuse of power and failures of accountability that reverberated throughout the territory.

On Friday, those competing narratives collided in dramatic fashion.

As Justice Rajendra Narine handed down prison sentences, the atmosphere inside the courtroom reportedly shifted from anticipation to shock. Supporters stood silently. Some wept. Others struggled to absorb a reality that had long seemed possible in theory but distant in practice.

The reality of the ruling became apparent almost immediately.

Armed police officers remained inside the courtroom as arrangements were made to take the convicted men into custody. Rather than exiting through the front of the Supreme Court, Michael Misick, attorney Thomas “Chal” Misick and former Cabinet Minister McAllister Hanchell were escorted from the building through a rear exit, avoiding what could have become a highly charged public scene outside the courthouse.

By Friday evening, the three men were behind bars.

For many residents, that was the moment the significance of the ruling truly settled in. Convictions had been handed down. Appeals had been argued. Court appearances had stretched across years. But imprisonment was different. It transformed a legal saga into an immediate and undeniable reality.

The sentence imposed on Michael Misick was also shaped by factors extending far beyond the offences themselves.

Justice Narine revealed that he began with a starting point of eight years’ imprisonment for each of the bribery convictions before weighing aggravating and mitigating factors. The court ultimately reduced that starting point by five years after considering a range of circumstances, including the extraordinary delay in the proceedings, a finding that Misick’s constitutional right to be tried within a reasonable time had been breached, the 339 days he spent in custody in Brazil during extradition proceedings, his lack of previous convictions, years of public service, family circumstances and medical evidence presented by the defence.

After those reductions were applied, the court imposed sentences of three years on Counts One and Three and five years on Count Two. The additional credit for the 339 days spent in Brazilian custody further reduced the effective sentence to two years and 16 days on Counts One and Three and four years and 26 days on Count Two.

The judge’s reasoning was nevertheless clear. Despite the mitigating factors, the seriousness of the offences, the abuse of public trust and the need to uphold standards of good governance required custodial sentences. In essence, the court concluded that penalties short of imprisonment would fail to adequately reflect the gravity of the conduct.

The outcome is unprecedented in modern Turks and Caicos history. Never before has a former premier of the territory been ordered to serve a custodial prison sentence.

The political and family dimensions make the development even more extraordinary.

Michael Misick and Chal Misick are brothers of Premier Charles Washington Misick. All three convicted men were prominent figures associated with the Progressive National Party administration at the centre of the corruption allegations. While Premier Charles Washington Misick has consistently remained separate from the proceedings and has never been implicated in the case, Friday’s events nevertheless placed him in the unusual position of leading the country while two brothers begin serving prison terms.

Yet even as three years long prison sentences await the men, we learn the legal battle is not over.

Sources indicate appeals could be filed as early as Monday, with requests for bail expected to accompany those efforts. It remains unclear whether the challenges will focus on the convictions, the sentences imposed, or both.

What is clear is that after nearly two decades of investigations, hearings, trials, judgments and appeals, the story is still being written.

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Friday, 29 May 2026: The Crown Land Unit (CLU), in coordination with the Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) and key partner agencies, conducted a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 21 May 2026, in sections of the Blue Hills and Stammers Run areas of Providenciales. The exercise focused on the serving of Section 22 Notices and Letters of Illegal Occupation on parcels where unauthorised occupation and development activity were identified.

The operation was led by the Crown Land Unit, with coordination and support provided by the ISU. Additional support was provided by the TCI Border Force, while security for the exercise was provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. All agencies worked collaboratively to ensure the operation was carried out in a safe, orderly, and controlled manner.

The exercise was conducted pursuant to the mandate of the Crown Land Unit under the Crown Land Ordinance to prevent squatting and encroachment on Crown Land. During inspections conducted across multiple parcels within Block 60502, several unauthorised structures constructed of concrete and timber were identified. Occupied structures were served with Letters of Illegal Occupation, while Notices of Illegal Occupation were affixed to unoccupied structures or served where appropriate.

In total, fourteen (14) Letters of Illegal Occupation and thirteen (13) Notices of Illegal Occupation were served during the operation. Notices and letters were either delivered directly to occupants or posted on structures in instances where occupants or the persons responsible for the construction were absent.

The Turks and Caicos Islands Government wishes to emphasise that unauthorised occupation and development on Crown Land constitute breaches of the Crown Land Ordinance and undermine lawful land administration and planning processes.

The Government remains committed to protecting Crown land, preventing unlawful occupation, and supporting safe, orderly, and sustainable development across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Multi-agency operations such as these form part of ongoing efforts to uphold the rule of law while advancing broader objectives related to land management, public safety, and community development.