FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2026

Nassau, The Bahamas — Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation, the Hon. JoBeth Coleby-Davis, and Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd. (BPL) Chief Executive Officer Toni Pratt recently participated in the 10th Annual Caribbean Infrastructure Forum (CARIF 2026) in Miami, highlighting The Bahamas’ energy transformation and investment agenda.

“To all investors, we are open for business and looking for great strategic partners that will continue to help us build the framework for our country,” said Minister Coleby-Davis as she spoke on the topic “Turning Resilience into Bankable Island Infrastructure: Spotlight on The Bahamas.” She invited investors and development partners to support The Bahamas’ infrastructure agenda as the country prepares for climate-related and global economic shocks.

The discussion also examined how resilience priorities can become financeable projects through strategic preparation, procurement, risk allocation, blended finance and coordination across energy, utilities and aviation.

CEO Pratt joined regional utility leaders and regulators for “The Future of the Caribbean Utility: Regulation, Investment and the Cost of Modernization,” a discussion focused on building resilience and modernizing Caribbean power systems while keeping electricity affordable.

Highlighting the challenge of serving an archipelago, Pratt noted that New Providence has more than 80,000 BPL consumers and a peak load of just under 300 megawatts, while Long Cay has approximately 10 consumers and a peak load of about 200 kilowatts. In an effort to keep electricity affordable for everyone, the universal tariff allows consumers on both islands to pay the same rate.

When introducing the New Energy Era to the panel, CEO Pratt described it as a “coordinated plan involving the utility, the regulator and policymakers.” She said legislative and policy changes have enabled BPL to advance liquefied natural gas arrangements, Independent Power Producer agreements, hybrid microgrids, solar generation and battery energy storage systems.

CEO Pratt also emphasized that strong coordination among key stakeholders has been critical to advancing The Bahamas’ energy transition. “The most important aspect of any energy transition is a cohesive unit,” Pratt said. “One of the things that the Government of The Bahamas did was create an Energy Committee comprised of the utilities, project execution units, the Minister, and everyone involved in making this dream come to reality, to ensure that all the New Energy Era initiatives are executed.”

Pratt added that solar panels and battery storage systems are already on the ground in New Providence and that current projects are advancing The Bahamas toward 30 percent renewable energy by early 2027, three years ahead of the nation’s goal of 30 percent renewable energy by the year 2030.

The Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation and Bahamas Power and Light Company Limited’s participation at CARIF 2026 reinforced The Bahamas’ commitment to responsible investment, regional partnership and building a more reliable, resilient and affordable energy system across New Providence and the Family Islands.