Deandrea Hamilton
Providenciales, TCI — Click. The lights are on — and light is finally being shed on months of speculation over the fate of the country’s sole electricity provider. It is now official: FortisTCI has been acquired by Vision Ridge Partners and rebranded as Pelican Energy TCI.
For years, FortisTCI has been one of the most stable utilities in the region. It has guided the Turks and Caicos Islands through hurricanes, power crises, and record demand with high marks from industry peers. Its CEO, Ruth Forbes, has taken on key leadership roles regionally, underscoring the company’s respected position among Caribbean energy providers. Even as the company recently sought a rate increase, customers acknowledged its hallmark of reliability — though at a cost many hope will not climb further.
That’s why the sudden announcement feels so jarring. Once again, as when Provo Power Company sold to Fortis nearly 20 years ago, islanders are finding out after the fact. Electricity isn’t just another commodity; it is a monopoly service under license. And for many residents, that makes this more than a private transaction — it’s a matter of public trust.
The new owner, Vision Ridge Partners, is not an unknown quantity globally. Founded in Colorado in 2008, the firm manages more than $6 billion in sustainable real assets. Its portfolio stretches across continents — from clean energy developers in the U.S., to utility-scale battery projects in Japan, to renewable natural gas and electric vehicle infrastructure ventures. With that backing, Pelican Energy TCI now sits inside a deep pool of capital and expertise.
Still, the way the handover happened leaves people unsettled. Islanders say they feel snubbed by the lack of transparency, excluded from decisions about a service they depend on daily. While Vision Ridge promises sustainability and innovation, and while Ruth Forbes remains at the helm, the frustration lingers: if electricity belongs to everyone, why does history keep repeating itself in silence?
The lights may be on — but the natives are restless.
