reEarth : Environmental issues in The Bahamas

http://www.jonesbahamas.com/ May 2nd, 2008

By QUINCY PARKER

The Government of The Bahamas is looking at ways to enhance the usage of biodiesel in The Bahamas, according to Public Utilities Minister Phenton Neymour, as the price of fuel continues to climb, adding to consumer woes.

“Although biodiesel doesn’t produce as much energy as petroleum-based diesel, it runs cleaner and it assists in the lubrication and the maintenance of engines,” Mr. Neymour told the Bahama Journal on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, he had launched the first working session of the National Energy Policy Committee. The committee was given 45 days to come up with a preliminary report on a National Energy Policy for The Bahamas.

Inter-American Development Bank [IDB] Bahamas epresentative Oscar Spencer said at the launch that energy planning is seen as an essential part of national economic planning and the two should be developed and implemented in close collaboration.

“The process often begins with a review of the macro-economic situation of the country,” said Mr. Spencer.

“It explores the linkages of the energy sector with the rest of the economy and the relationships among the energy sub-sectors in order to better identify the complex interactions between energy usage and economic and social outcomes.”

Prices of many commodities - including crude oil, tin, nickel, soybeans, corn, and wheat - reached record highs in current U.S. dollar terms, according to the International Monetary Fund [IMF].

Analysts have reported that the strong demand from emerging economies has accounted for much of the increase in commodity consumption in recent years and has been the driving force in the price run-up.

Meantime, biofuel-related demand has added to the demand for major food crops, especially corn.

At the same time, supply adjustments to higher prices have been lagging, especially for oil, the IMF pointed out, leading to medium to long-term low inventory levels in many markets.

“We are all acutely aware that we are living at a time when the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean – and indeed the whole world – are faced with growing demand for energy, in the midst of rising energy prices and tensions over the availability of energy supplies,” Mr. Spencer pointed out.

“Energy security has become an important issue of the countries around the world.”

The IDB official said the issue of energy has resulted in the energy policy formation and implementation being “put back on the front burner,” as many countries try to find ways to effectively deal with the situation.

He pointed out that three years ago, the government began the process of development of a national energy policy, spearheaded by the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) Commission.

A common theme emerging from that consultative process was that any energy policy adopted by The Bahamas ought to be based on sound economics, be environmentally friendly and incorporate long-term vision, supporting the development and commercialization of alternative energy sources.

That process resulted in a document called the Energy Master Plan, Mr. Spencer said, which establishes the foundation for a national energy policy.

“I’m sure that we are all aware that the main purpose of national energy policy foundation and implementation is to ensure the best use of scarce energy resources, and to increase the use of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies in order to facilitate attainment of economic development and improved quality of life of the population,” he said.

“It should be consistent with the overall development policies and be viewed as an integral and critical tool to be used in pursuit of economic and social development.”

Mr. Neymour told the Journal that the National Energy Policy Committee has been given the necessary resources to carry out its mandate.

“The government feels that it is very important that the National Energy Policy Committee executes its mandate, and its mandate is 45 days, which means that they should report back to the government before the end of the budgetary debate,” he said.

“That in itself demonstrates how important the government views this exercise.”

Mr. Neymour said he expects updates from the committee and the public will be able to contribute to its work.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 10:04 am and is filed under B.E.C., Energy, Alternative Energy, Global Warming. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.