Barbados’ energy regulator has admitted it does not yet have adequate human resources to manage the island’s fast-changing electricity sector, but said on Friday a major overhaul is underway as the country pushes towards its 2035 renewable energy target.
The frank admission came from Fair Trading Commission Chief Executive Officer Brian Reece in the feature address at the 12th annual general meeting of the Barbados Renewable Energy Association (BREA) on Friday.
Reece said that while the island’s national energy goal of 100 per cent renewables and carbon neutrality by 2035 is clear, effective regulation is now just as critical as generation capacity.
“We do not have sufficient numbers of bodies to be able to handle what I expect to be the kind of work that needs to be completed by the FTC in another ten years, but we are actively looking at that,” he said in his speech to industry figures.
“We have been looking at the organisational structure. We have been looking at expanding our manpower for specific capacities. These are not nice-to-haves. These are essential aspects of the development. It’s not only about looking at another electricity analyst to handle more applications. It’s about looking at the type of engineering and technical skills that we need to be able to respond to these questions… in a proactive way.”
Reece said the FTC is “not right now fit for that ultimate purpose,” but added, “The interesting time that we live in allows us to plan for that and be able to execute in time to meet that challenge. I’m confident that we will.”
While acknowledging those gaps, he outlined a broader roadmap for strengthening the commission’s capacity and credibility in the years ahead, including reforms to internal systems, legislation and performance monitoring.
“Barbados has set a bold course, 100 per cent renewable energy and carbon neutrality by 2035, but ambition alone is not enough,” he said.
“Our regulatory management of the transition must convert that ambition into bankable, buildable projects that benefit every household and every business on the island as well.”
He added that “effective regulation must be catalytic for the development of sustainable energy infrastructure”, with structured planning, data collection, and incentives to ensure capital-efficient investment.
The FTC has already partnered with the US-based Regulatory Assistance Project to review its systems and identify areas for improvement based on international best practices.
As climate threats intensify, Reece said the FTC would also be stepping up its role in ensuring that new energy projects are structurally resilient and built to withstand severe weather.
He said: “As far as hurricane preparedness is concerned, I think we again have to be proactive. We have to look to see where key performance indicators are…”
With the new Electricity Supply Act now proclaimed, developers can explore microgrids and community resilience hubs, and the FTC must be prepared to evaluate such systems and hold all players, including independent power producers and storage providers, to a consistent standard, Reece said.
“The FTC will play a part in developing the form of resilience that stakeholders like BREA [and the] public utility desire and believe would be appropriate for the particular situations,” he said.
“We’ve seen situations in more developed countries that have occurred. Let’s once again learn from those experiences and try to put the systems in place before the situations occur.”
The regulator is also working on introducing an electronic case management system in 2026 and a public-facing regulatory tracker by early 2027 to improve transparency and build trust with investors and consumers alike.
“We are about to launch into a brave new world that the FTC of 20 years ago was not designed to manage,” Reece said.
“The future is calling for a resilient regulator… a proactive and positive force collaborating, partnering, and regulating to make sure that strategic aspirations are met.”
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