The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) is gearing up to host its fifth Bahamas Energy Security Forum.
The Forum serves as a platform to discuss and exchange ideas, policies and initiatives that are intended to improve the state of energy in the country as well as its impact on the environment.
BCCEC CEO, Jeffrey Beckles, said the issue of energy the issue of energy as it relates to the Bahamas is that it is “everybody’s business and while it is one of the hottest topics in the community”. He said BCCEC finds it necessary to ensure that they work in a collaborative way with policy makers, power suppliers and all creative thinkers and engineers to ensure The Bahamas has a sustainable energy platform.
“The issue of reform is one that is also heavily on our minds, in that we all would agree that we have not had the most resourceful use of our energy system in consistency and one of the things we are committed to doing is ensuring that we partner with our stakeholders and partners, really to understand the way forward,” Mr. Beckles said.
He added that although the country has a relatively small population, its electrical provider services millions of people.
“As we look at the whole issue of energy, electricity and all forms of energy, no Bahamian is untouched by the energy issue sometimes.
“We have a tendency to look at it in the context that we are only 400,000 people, but we see it as being a country of 6.5 million people because we must take into account every single visitor that comes to The Bahamas and how energy affects their experience and their experience affects the economy, because their experience determines how they spend.
“Energy is directly related to the success and the growth of our economy. So, we at the chamber are pleased to partner with stakeholders to ensure that there is true reform and that there is a legislative framework in place to ensure that regulations are in place, because we aim to grow the economy outside the context of sustainable energy,” Mr. Beckles said.
Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee at the BCCEC, Deborah Deal said to ensure true reform is met, the chamber has partnered with several stakeholders- private sector affiliates- who they hope will give feedback during the forum on the topic “We’ve Got The Power”.
“Energy affects us all. We decided to start the Green Initiative and that is where the private sector can actually be in control of their own energy, energy consumption and in turn energy cost.
“We also by doing that, we are actually helping with our carbon emissions. Thirty percent of your energy is stolen from you, I call them ghost thieves, but if we eliminated that 30 percent every single person in this country, from our electrical consumption, we would be able to lower our carbon emissions by that 30 percent,” Ms. Deal said.
The forum is scheduled for March 19, at Super Clubs Brezes Resort.
Presentations are anticipated from a number of private sector businesses, inlcuding Chirstopher J Burgess, Project Manager of Rocky Mountain Institute, Carbon War Room in the US, Pai Farmer founder of Easy Car Sales adn Stephen Bereaux CEO of URCA.
