Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced Saturday that the government plans to acquire a large-scale solar energy plant within two years and will open direct investment opportunities in future renewable energy projects to Antiguans and Barbudans.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the announcement during his weekly radio programme on Pointe FM, framing the initiative as part of a long-term national strategy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels while broadening public ownership of the country's electricity infrastructure.
"Our intention, within the next maybe 24 months, is to commence in earnest the acquisition of a significant solar plant, maybe about 15 to 20 gigawatt hours," Browne said.
The prime minister said the project is designed to differ from previous energy developments by placing ownership in the hands of ordinary citizens rather than concentrating it among a small number of companies.
"We want this to be a shared situation which will provide opportunity for Antiguans and Barbudans to invest in energy," Browne said. "We want to diversify the ownership."
Browne said the administration is also looking to create investment instruments accessible to nationals living abroad. "We want Antiguans abroad, a cadre of Antiguans and Barbudans, to have different investment instruments in which to invest. I truly believe that energy is one such area that we have to open up," he said.
The prime minister argued that concentrating energy generation in the hands of a few entities poses broader risks to the country. "This type of close-knit arrangement, when you have one or two entities controlling our power, first of all, I think is dangerous," he said. "We want to broaden it, share the pie and provide opportunities to others."
Browne was careful to note that existing energy operators would not be shut out of future projects. "This doesn't preclude APC from participating," he said. "They could end up, based on their resources, becoming the single largest investor."
He also addressed current operators directly, stating the policy carries no adversarial intent. "I say this with no hostility towards Eagle or towards the Hadid group of companies," Browne said. "The members of the Hadid family and I get on pretty well. We haven't had any issues, but I speak truth to power, and ultimately my responsibility is to the people of Antigua and Barbuda. No friendship, no interests supersede the interests of the people."
The planned solar facility will complement the government's parallel move toward liquefied natural gas, which Browne described as a transitional fuel that will lower electricity costs and reduce carbon emissions in the near term.
"We'll have two benefits — a reduction in price compared to using diesel or heavy fuel, and similarly there's going to be a reduction in our carbon footprint," he said.
