Minister of Social Development, Ms Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, noted that “the global economy is looking at renewable energies and electric vehicles to ensure that we integrate green economies into our societies.”
She made the remarks as commentary on Government’s Motion to grant custom duty and excise tax exemptions on imported hybrid and electric vehicles into Anguilla, and to draw the attention of the House of Assembly to things that are happening globally and regionally – a world that Anguilla does not necessarily have control over.
She said: “When we look at the news headlines – CNN, Al Jazeera, and the Wall Street Journal – they talk about the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), their allied petroleum producing states, and their intent to curtail the supply of oil internationally by 100,000 barrels a day. That is simply because they have seen a slump in demand. Their actions are taken primarily through their drive for profit.
The Minister noted that this is not just Anguilla’s story alone. It’s a regional story and it’s also a story around the world.
“Things are happening in Anguilla and around the world, and the major persons who hold the balance of power – when it comes to these decisions and how they affect us here in these small island developing states – make decisions through our capitalistic models and systems – systems that encourage people making decisions which are primarily profit-based. [These decisions] can hit us in terms of how we live our lives here in the Caribbean.”
She raised and answered questions about product ‘supply and demand’ decisions that are made solely on projections. She said: “How do you increase demand after you see a slump? You reduce supply. What happens when you reduce supply? The prices go up? What happens when prices go up? People have less disposable income.”
She observed that people – even in Anguilla – are asking questions about what is happening, and noted that sometimes you just have to look directly at the source. She stated that situations on the global markets are “the things that are creating the decisions impacting us on a day-to-day basis.”
The Minister said: “I want to raise awareness – regionally and internationally – with our global partners about the actions they need to take to respect the rights of small developing states and how we see these impacts here in Anguilla.”
Fellow House Member, Jose Vanterpool, supported and endorsed the comments by Minister Kentish-Rogers, but also noted that her concerns regarding OPEC are similar to his concerns regarding the Anguilla Electricity Company Limited (ANGLEC).
Mr Vanterpool observed: “The same way that OPEC is now using its influence to increase cost due to the reduced demand [for fossil fuel], is the same concern that I, as well as many other Anguillians have, as it pertains to ANGLEC and the potential of someone else coming in and distributing the [electricity] power via a power-purchase agreement as opposed to ANGLEC owning its own infrastructure.”
He continued: “It is by that very reason that if supply were to reduce by people switching to renewables and they [power-purchase investors] were to detect a drop-in-supply, what would stop them and their capitalistic minds from exploiting us in the same way that OPEC is exploiting its situation? I believe that it follows logically from the same points that Minister Kentish-Rogers mentioned.”
In support of moving Anguilla toward renewable energy integration, Minister Haydn Hughes noted that we have been talking about renewable energy integration in terms of our national grid for some time. He noted that the debate has spilled out in the public domain recently.
He said: “For me, I really don’t care one way or the next as long as we get there. It is important that we are decisive as it relates to these power-purchase agreements or whether ANGLEC owns the ability to produce and distribute the electricity.
“ANGLEC will always be the distributor of electricity, but it is also important to have net-metering in aspects where persons can produce electricity and the excess electricity can be fed back into the grid using regulations.
“I have no fear of any capitalistic venture coming to Anguilla to produce electricity at a particular cost to ANGLEC, or to the people of Anguilla, because we have the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that can regulate it. We even have an officer in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Tourism that can also assist in the regulation. The Government of Anguilla also has the tools at its disposal to regulate the cost of electricity – even now as it is.
“What is unregulated is the fuel surcharge, so whether it is an international company, a local company, or ANGLEC itself, producing the electricity, it is neither here nor there. And while OPEC manipulates the price of electricity, we [in Anguilla] would not have that issue because we would regulate and fix the price.”
Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr Ellis Webster, noted that “the Member talked about the PUC regulating the cost and other issues regarding electricity and other utilities. That cost is controllable and therefore, whomever does the renewable energy supply will come under that jurisdiction.
“Electricity supply has to be affordable and reliable. I think that all of us all can see that the only way to do that in Anguilla is through renewable energy. My goal, and the goal of this administration is to make that happen during this term.”
Dr Webster noted that since 2008, the Energy Commission Committee was formed, and laid out how Anguilla should proceed with getting a renewable energy supply on Anguilla.
He observed: “One of the recommendations was a power-purchase agreement. I don’t know why now that has become taboo in this Anguilla. I’m of the opinion that the fastest way to get a renewable energy supply in Anguilla is for an outside investor or developer to do it.
“If you look at the report from the Committee in 2008, it is now 2022 and still nothing has been done…It’s been five years now since ANGLEC’s 1-megawatt solar farm was unfortunately destroyed during Hurricane Irma, and has not been replaced. That says a lot to me as someone concerned about making sure that we decrease the cost of electricity in Anguilla.”
