The Cayman Renewable Energy Association has told The Caymanian Journal (TCJ) that liquefied natural gas “cannot touch a single bill” inside the 18 to 20 months Premier André Ebanks MP has set for relief from diesel, and that committing to a gas import terminal would tie consumers to fossil fuels “for decades more” when the islands are at 3% renewable energy after more than 15 years of pursuing clean power.
The response, from the association’s president James Whittaker, is the first from the clean energy sector since the Premier told the Chamber of Commerce on 9 October that the government had asked the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (URCO) to re-examine the route off diesel and whether LNG should serve as a transitional fuel “if it’s going to be too slow and you can’t do 100% of the solar”. TCJ reported on 19 October that Finance Minister Rolston Anglin MP made the request and that Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) has a preferred bidder for LNG supply. Mr Whittaker is also founder and chief executive of GreenTech Energy, a solar installer and a member of the association, which he described as a non-profit advocacy body of just over 40 members, most of them outside the solar industry