As Saint Lucia pushes to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels, the government faces a delicate balancing act – liberalising the energy sector without destabilising the existing grid.
A new Electricity Supply Bill, set to undergo parliamentary review, seeks to open the market to independent renewable energy producers while keeping LUCELEC’s infrastructure central to the transition.
Currently, LUCELEC holds exclusive rights to generate electricity until 2045 under existing legislation. The proposed bill aims to decouple fossil fuel dependency by integrating solar, wind, and other renewable sources – but all power will still flow through LUCELEC’s grid.
Infrastructure Minister Stephenson King acknowledged concerns that the bill does not fully deregulate energy exploration but emphasised the need for caution.
“We have to be very careful that we don’t kill the goose that laid the golden egg for something else,” he said, referencing Barbados’ struggles with grid instability due to rapid renewable expansion.
The minister said he would elaborate further when the bill reaches the House.
The diversification move aligns with Saint Lucia’s National Energy Transition Strategy, which identifies solar, wind, geothermal, and even nuclear potential. Key projects, including geothermal drilling and World Bank-funded solar retrofits for government buildings, are already underway, a step toward lower energy costs and a greener future.
“The project activities at this time include the finalisation of land acquisition for all project sites, single-hooks, drilling works which should start anytime from now, resettlement action plan for persons affected, drafting of the geothermal environmental social impact assessment and the ESI regulations,” King said.
Some of the public buildings to be retrofitted for solar energy are Owen King EU Hospital, the Tissue Culture Lab, Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Financial Administration Centre, Bordelais Correctional Facility, Victoria Hospital, Soufriere Hospital, Heraldine Rock Building, Sir Stanislaus James Building and the Francis Compton Building.
