Opinion | The Price of Being One Step Behind the Energy Crisis

Three years ago, FortisTCI announced an $8 million solar investment. Where are we today?

Another record electricity bill. Another warning that another expensive month is coming. And once again, we are reminded that Turks and Caicos remains heavily dependent on diesel-generated electricity.

We are continually told that renewable energy is the long-term answer.

I agree.

But here’s the question: How long does the long term have to be?

In June 2023, FortisTCI announced an $8 million investment in what was described as the country’s first solar-plus-battery microgrid projects. The plan was ambitious: provide approximately 30 percent of the electricity for North and Middle Caicos and an extraordinary 91 percent for Salt Cay.

The original target was to have both systems operational in 2024.

A groundbreaking ceremony followed in July 2023. Then, in September 2024, FortisTCI reported that construction was progressing, with the North and Middle Caicos solar installation expected to be completed that year, the battery system in early 2025 and the Salt Cay microgrid in 2025.

It is now August 2026. So where are we?

This isn’t about attacking FortisTCI, or its new incarnation as Pelican Energy TCI. It is about accountability and transparency.

If a project was announced, groundbreaking took place and millions of dollars were committed, residents deserve to know what happened.

Was it completed? If not, why? How much of the $8 million has been spent? How much electricity are these systems actually producing? And when will residents see the promised benefits?

Those are reasonable questions.

There is no question that Pelican Energy is now supporting renewable-energy development. Its recently commissioned 414-kilowatt rooftop solar system at Salterra Resort in South Caicos is a good example.

These questions become even more relevant with the recent publication that Pelican Energy TCI Ltd. is seeking planning permission to build a 10-megawatt solar farm, battery storage system and microgrid on approximately 20 acres in Providenciales.

That is potentially significant and should be welcomed. But what about the projects first promised in 2023 for North and Middle Caicos and Salt Cay that would support the local communities?

Residents should not have to choose between welcoming new renewable-energy investment and asking for accountability on previous commitments. We should be able to do both.

New investment in renewable energy should be encouraged. Competition, private investment and innovation should all be welcomed. But new announcements should not cause us to forget about previous commitments.

Residents deserve a clear roadmap showing what has been completed, what is delayed, what is awaiting approval and how much renewable energy will actually replace diesel generation.

Publicly available credit information reported in 2024 indicated that FortisTCI generated approximately $108 million in revenue in 2023 and $118 million in 2024, a 9.3 percent increase.

That does not mean the company made that much in profit. But it does demonstrate that this was a substantial utility operation.

So perhaps the bigger question isn’t whether renewable energy is affordable, it’s whether we have been moving fast enough.

Minister for Innovation, Technology and Energy Hon. Jay Saunders is right that there is no overnight solution to our dependence on diesel. The transition requires planning, investment, infrastructure and regulatory changes.

But we have known this for years.

The Minister has also said government wants to encourage independent operators to enter the solar-generation business and potentially sell electricity back to the grid.

That’s encouraging. But why not go further?

Why shouldn’t renewable-energy investments qualify for low-interest loans? Why not provide grants, rebates or tax incentives to homeowners and small businesses willing to install solar and battery systems?

Government doesn’t have to finance the entire energy transition, it can help residents finance it.

Every home and business generating some of its own electricity potentially reduces our dependence on imported diesel. And with a fair, predictable system for selling excess electricity back to the grid, residents become more than consumers. They become energy producers.

That is the transformation we should be pursuing.

The Turks and Caicos Islands has abundant sunshine. We have the technology. We have residents willing to invest. We have businesses looking for opportunities.

And now we have another major solar project on the table.  What we need is urgency.

Three years ago, we were told solar projects would transform the energy supply of two island communities.

Now, another major project is being proposed in Providenciales. That is encouraging, but proposals are not power generation.

We have spent years talking about renewable energy. It’s time to stop talking about the future and start delivering it.