Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis was the keynote speaker at a stakeholders forum focused on energy reform in the country on Thursday.

Mr. Davis said the main focus of the gathering was public engagement and transparency. He said, “our officials from the Ministry of Energy and Transport from BPL and from the project partners are here to walk through the structure of the reforms, to explain how the bills are calculated, how the contracts fit together and how the path from where we are now to where we aim to be has been mapped. I’ve invited the Leader of the Opposition and his colleagues to take part as well. If they believe the conclusions they have shared with the public there’s no better place to test those claims than here in front of the country with the experts in the room and in documents on the table.”

The Prime Minister said the government is tackling the full structure of the energy system for the first time. “Generation, fuel, transmission and distribution, the debt and subsidies and we’re doing so with a clear line of sight to the future. We’re also creating new fields of opportunity for Bahamians. The shift to gas, solar, storage, microgrids and smart networks bring with it new skills, new trades and new professions.”

Minister of Transport and Energy, the Hon. Jobeth Coleby-Davis also addressed the gathering of stakeholders. She said, “if we are 100% dependent on imported fuel our economy is hostage to geopolitical events thousands of miles away. True independence in the ability to power our own homes and industries using our own resources and strategic planning.”

In February the government released more than three thousands documents related to energy sector reform. The energy reform effort is expected to boost economic competitiveness and combat the high cost of living.