Government
TCI Energy Forum Highlights Opportunities and Challenges in the Energy Transition
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (Thursday, June 8, 2023) – The second Turks and Caicos Energy Forum held at the Ritz-Carlton Resort on Friday, June 2, 2023, provided key insights and engendered riveting discussions on a range of considerations facing the country’s energy sector in its transition to alternative energy sources.
The full-day event encompassed a diverse and cross-sectoral array of experts, panel sessions, and presentations on topics including access to financing, regulatory reform, labor market trends, affordability and more. This year’s conference theme was ‘Changing the Energy Landscape: People. Power. Partnerships.’
Remarks were delivered by Acting Governor, Her Excellency Anya Williams, Hon. Josephine Connolly, Acting
Minister of Public Utilities, and FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes. Forbes reinforced the energy company’s plan to construct TCI’s first solar plus battery microgrid on the Twin Islands of North and Middle Caicos starting this year, with Salt Cay next in line for a similar project in 2024. Both microgrids represent an investment of approximately $8 million dollars. The contract for the Twin Islands solar installation was signed at the forum with the successful bidder, Compass Solar.
Farayi Chipungu, an Attorney, Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School and Government, and Change Management Expert, delivered a keynote presentation on Adaptive Leadership: Driving Fundamental Change. The energy transition is a multi-year mega shift from the traditional utility model, and her presentation highlighted research, real-world examples, and core principles to help navigate the energy transition conversation.
A leadership dialogue on the perils, promise, and partnerships for the energy sector then followed with panelists Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick, FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes, Dr. Carlos Batlle-Lopez, Advisor, and Visiting Scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Energy Initiative, Keynote Speaker Farayi Chipungu, moderated by Kenrick Walters, General Manager of Bordier Bank TCI Ltd. Hon. Misick also reinforced the government’s commitment to partnership in the energy transition. In her contributions, Mrs. Forbes described the trilemma facing energy providers as balancing reliability, affordability, and sustainability.
Dr. Carlos Batlle-Lopez delivered a spotlight presentation on how changes to energy sector regulations can create an enabling environment and the importance of maintaining an “equilibrium” in the electricity sector to prevent inefficient and adverse outcomes. He stressed that a regulatory path has to be designed urgently, and the changes should be gradually introduced to avoid big shocks.
The transition to cleaner energy sources requires millions of dollars in investment. Access to funding to support the transition was examined by another esteemed panel of experts moderated by Christopher Burgess, Projects Director at Rocky Mountain Institute. The discussion featured Gillian Charles-Gollop, Executive Director of Corporate Banking and Sustainable Finance at CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, Dr. David M. Bynoe, National Coordinator of the Global Environmental Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) at the United Nations Development Programme, Alvin Hegner, Board Chairman at Invest Turks and Caicos, and Shernelle Capron, Director of Financial Services and Supply Chain Management at FortisTCI. The panel reinforced the utility’s need for locally tailored, customized financing solutions and the banks’ need for updated energy sector regulations as an important prerequisite to secure green financing. Around 50% of FortisTCI’s capital budget this year is committed to clean and transitional energy projects. At the same time, a significant amount has been spent over the past five years to maintain existing assets on the energy grid. It was stressed that financing the clean energy transition requires a coalition of partners, including governments, instead of being solely utility-led. References were made to successful green funding scenarios in the Caribbean.
The focus then shifted to a panel on Sustainable Solutions: The Realities and Rewards, moderated by Devon Cox, Senior Vice President of Operations at FortisTCI, with panelists Susan Gray, President, and CEO at Tucson Electric Power/UNS Energy Corporation, Nils Janson, Managing Director, Policy and Regulation at K&M Advisors, Staffan Wiens, Founder of Mint Lab and Wind Technology Expert, along with Rachell Roullet, Vice President of Innovation, Technology and Strategic Planning at FortisTCI. The panel shed light on the wide range of variables and tradeoffs that must be considered in the energy transition, such as the environmental impact of the vast amount of land needed to construct utility-scale solar farms, the studies required to make data-based decisions with robust analysis and a coordinated approach, selecting the right technology and offsetting the intermittent nature of wind and solar energy to maintain a reliable electricity service. Various energy sources, battery storage, and the growing adoption of natural gas in the Caribbean to lower carbon emissions and price volatility were cited, but the experts emphasized the need to remain agile.
The next group of experts on the agenda focused on changes in the labor force and the impact of post-pandemic trends such as the great resignation, hybrid work, tech sector lay-offs, and inflationary pressures on reshaping the global labor market and how to counteract these headwinds. Dr Candice Williams, President and CEO of TCI Community College, served as moderator, alongside panelists Richard Solomon, Managing Director & Principal Consultant at Development Consulting Center Ltd, Hon. Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, and
Social Services, Turks and Caicos Islands, Aisha Laporte, Vice President of Finance, Corporate Services and CFO at FortisTCI, and Bridgette Thomas, Executive Leadership Coach, President and Founder of Strongbridge Solutions. Richard Solomon stressed that work is no longer a place, and there is a demand for favorable conditions, meaningful work, and flexibility as people reevaluate their lives.
Dervon McKellop, President, Chief Consultant and UAS Pilot at DRIFT Enterprise Services, delivered a spotlight presentation on the use of drone technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning in the energy sector. Drones are impacting the energy sector in major ways – improving efficiency, replacing some manual tasks, and enhancing inspections around the health of power grids by detecting damages, preventing failures, and enabling proactive repairs.
Long-standing employees from the Operations Division at FortisTCI took center stage to culminate the program in a panel session. They eloquently shared their stories as some of the people behind the power. The discussion was moderated by Wisland Toussaint, Senior Human Resources Officer at FortisTCI, and featured panelists Kerwin Arthur, Plant Control Shift Supervisor, Tavardo Smith, Electrical Technician III, Durell Landy, Manager of North and Middle Caicos Operations, and Kelorian Forbes, Line Foreman. The team received a standing ovation as they expressed pride in working for such an essential service and gave an inside view of the trials and triumphs of responding to mass outage scenarios.
Youth voices were also represented at the forum as top debaters from Maranatha Academy and Holy Family Catholic School recanted their winning speeches on the moot: “Without national or global enforcement, achieving greenhouse gas emission targets is unrealistic.”
Turks and Caicos Energy Forum brings together local, regional, and international energy experts, public and private sector decision-makers, and a wide cross-section of stakeholders to discuss ideas and trends affecting the future of energy. The forum is hosted by FortisTCI, the public energy provider in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Bahamas News
Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement Signed between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province
By LLONELLA GILBERT
Bahamas Information Services
NASSAU, The Bahamas — A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province.
The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama represented The Bahamas at the signing.
His Excellency Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; and Yang Peiran, Interpreter represented the People’s Republic of China.
Minister Moxey explained that in February 2022, she and the former Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Her Excellency Dai Qingli began discussion on the establishment of a province-island relationship between Hunan Province and Grand Bahama Island because of their “immense synergy”.
“Hunan has a vibrant creative industry and its capital city, Changsha is known as the entertainment capital of China, whilst Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of entertainment in ‘Our Bluepoint for Change’.”
She said Hunan Province boasts 11 industrial sectors and Grand Bahama is the industrial capital of The Bahamas. Further, innovation driven development has been a new driving force for Hunan, while Grand Bahama is poised to become the home of innovation for The Bahamas.
Minister Moxey said she is confident that an exchange of knowledge, ideas and culture will happen between the residents of Hunan Province and Grand Bahama.
“There is potential for robust trade in various sectors, opportunities for tourism promotion and intercultural appreciation, exchanges to support performing arts programs on our island, foster growth within the Orange Economy, and tap into China’s innovation, technology and vast expertise.”
She said that the formal signing aligns with the mission of Sister Cities International, which is to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, one community at a time.
The Minister said, “Through collaborative programs and initiatives, this connection will support the government’s vision to diversity Grand Bahama’s economy to become the Home of Maritime and Logistics, Home of Events and Entertainment and Home of Innovation.”
She noted that in addition to signing the agreement, she looks forward to Grand Bahama residents benefitting from the signing of the Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding between Central South University and University of The Bahamas (UB), which will expand educational and technical cooperation between the two universities. The northern campus of UB is located in Grand Bahama.
His Excellency Mao Weiming said although geographically far apart, China and The Bahamas are friends with mutual respect and understanding as well as sincerity.
He explained that 27 years ago, both countries established diplomatic relations and China and The Bahamas have deepened their cooperation, strengthened their friendship and carried out many activities in the field of economy, trade and people-to-people exchange.
His Excellency recalled that in August 2022, he and Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance the Hon. Philip Davis had a video conference where they both reached a consensus to cooperate in order to usher a new chapter in the relationship between Hunan and The Bahamas.
“Today, we are here to sign a sister-to-sister relationship between Hunan and Grand Bahama. It is [a] concrete move to implement
our consensus reached before and also to embark on a new journey of friendly exchanges.”
He added, “By establishing the relationship of sister cities, I believe the two sides will develop further in terms of economic and trade cooperation, people to people exchange, as well as friendship, and we will embrace new opportunities and deliver concrete benefits for the two peoples.”
He explained that Hunan, which is the home town of Chairman Mao, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, has developed very advanced industries of manufacturing, agriculture, education, culture as well as tourism.
His Excellency said he believes that Hunan and Grand Bahama enjoy very broad room for cooperation.
He said, “More efforts should be made to conduct cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, culture, education and the film industry so as to realize a connectivity between our two sides in terms of logistics and the platform cooperation; so as to deliver concrete benefits for the people and to make our due contribution to the bilateral relationship between China and The Bahamas.”
PHOTO CAPTION
A significant milestone was made in the development of bilateral relations between the Governments of The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China by the signing of the Sister Province/Island Relationship Agreement between Grand Bahama Island and Hunan Province. The signing took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Shown from left: Qu Hai, Secretary General of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; Cui Wei, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China; Yang Peiran, Interpreter H.E. Mao Weiming, Governor of Hunan Provincial People’s Government; the Hon. Ginger Moxey, Minister for Grand Bahama; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; Kingsley Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama and Joel Lewis, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Grand Bahama.
(BIS Photos/Anthon Thompson)
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, April 19, 2024 – In an explosive, self-proclaimed, final budget speech to the people of the Turks and Caicos, Harold Charles, Governors Appointed Member is expressing frustration that many Turks and Caicos Islanders are locked out of top jobs in the country and unable to build wealth.
”I’ve been in this country for 50 years and I’ve noticed all those big developments that come in— the majority of [managers]are foreign people. After 50 years, when are we going to have Belongers manage those businesses?” Charles asked. “I’m upset, I’m frustrated [this is] their home. They have nowhere else to go—- If we don’t empower our Turks and Caicos Islanders we will never get out of living paycheck to paycheck.”
Charles echoed what thousands of locals have been saying for years about the failure of successive governments to get the economic success in the country on a level that residents can participate in it. The member maintained that not only were many locals working for scraps overseas and at home, but that it was the prerogative of the government to create avenues for them to move upward.
”I know the government’s heart is in the right place but somehow we’re not getting it together. I’m talking (about) both PDM and PNPs. It must change. There are many islanders overseas taking crummy jobs when all this opportunity is in the Turks and Caicos Islands.”
Calling on the government to enforce laws which allow islanders to get a foothold in lucrative industries, Charles maintained that TCIG could not let investors come and do as they liked.
”We have all these big companies making millions. They brag about how much they’re making, yet how much do they contribute to the development of our people?”
Charles encouraged the government to mandate that locals were hired in the large developments, taking place across the country.
Capital projects and their execution was another issue that the member highlighted
”Over the past three years in office, we seem to be dragging our feet when it comes to the execution of projects,” he said, “the last budget reflected bitter-sweet sentiment.”
The government managed to spend $29 million of a $57 million capital project budget in 2023/24 financial year.
“Mr. Speaker prior, we promised the people infrastructural investment, improved roads, ease with doing business with TCIG, more scholarships, increased home care, a $900,000 special needs school.”
The Appointed member was also frustrated with the amount of money being allocated to crucial areas including the absence of allocations for a special needs school.
”We were promised that no Turks and Caicos Islander would be left behind while I appreciate the government’s commitment to ensuring this. I am concerned that the relatively low level of funding allocated to education and infrastructure may hinder the effectiveness of effort,” The member stressed.
Closing his speech, Charles maintained that it was “crucial that the sectors receive additional support in order to provide citizens with the necessary resources and opportunities for their development.“
Mr. Speaker it is imperative that we allocate our resources adequately and streamline processes to enhance the ease of doing business with the Turks and Caicos Government. We must priortise increasing service delivery capacity in critical departments such as the customer service department, the register of records, the department of motor vehicles and the list goes on,” express Charles.
Charles reminded that there is a growing demand on the services TCIG provides, especially as the country enjoys unprecedented, year on year, exponential economic growth.
Charles alongside Jameka Williams (Government Appointed Member) Willin Belliard (Governor’s Appointed Member number one) and Alvin Garland (Opposition Appointed Member) will very likely be the last set of appointed members in the House of Assembly of the Turks and Caicos as it transitions to a wholly elected parliament.
Harold Charles indicated it was unlikely he would join any leadership race describing the 2024-2025 Budget contribution as likely his final.
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