BVI News

Don’t allow outside investors to seize ‘green’ opportunities

A solar farm

With some ‘go green’ legislation and renewable energy initiatives already in place, Premier Andrew Fahie has suggested that outsiders should not be able to seize opportunities that are readily available for locals.

The Premier, speaking at a press conference recently, encouraged persons to be ready to make necessary adjustments when there is a paradigm shift towards green energy.

He further suggested that green opportunities may not seem popular right now because there are not many alternative sources of energy around at this time.

“We have to look ahead and stay ahead of the curve and not let persons come from the outside and start investing in these things and then we start to say ‘well, how come they are coming in and being allowed to do that?’”

“The law is already passed, nearly everything dealing with renewable energy is duty-free at this time. There are very few [items] that may have some duty on it, but it’s very low — [perhaps] two percent. We’re looking at [this Customs duties exemption for] the first two years and it may call for us to extend it even more,” he added.

He urged persons to take advantage of available initiatives when they come forward.

“Those are some of the areas I want the people of the Virgin Islands to start to think about, research because the vehicle to get it done has already been done through legislation,” the Premier said.

“There’s a new industry there to be had by our people and we just want to get these technical expertise on how to train our people and advance them much faster into these areas and open their minds to the possibilities of the future which is right now,” he added.

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16 Comments

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  1. Here goes... says:

    I think the headline was meant to read “Government’s families and friends want to pillage all the other residents of the BVI of their remaining cash…”

    Like 25
  2. The Truth says:

    I got money to invest but it’s difficult to invest when everything is govt controlled.

    Like 21
  3. BuzzBvi says:

    As in, let’s make sure we use people with no experience to make the most of the new Green Opportunities instead of using established companies with years of experience to do the job right, maintain it afterwards and have all the people of the BVI benefit.
    Or let’s have another Greenhouse Project, Airline, Propect-ive hotel, roads made and repaired by cake decorators, one shot LED road lights, hospital missing medical equipment, empty Roadtown Marina, empty Virgin Gorda Marina, radar chase barges, 198th in the world class internet and teleomms, available water but no pipes.
    Time to call in and spend money on experts that will do the job and do it right, for a realistic price, and stop just spreading cash around to friends and family, whilst everyone else lives in what is increasingly seeming like a country that can’t even get into the 3rd world.

    Like 14
  4. WEW says:

    Can’t wait to see what happens to Anegada solar project they awarded to a known cr**k from Baltimore . A long list of lawsuits against him and the government still signed him.

    Like 11
  5. WEW says:

    “Green opportunities” The colour of money.

    https://www.bvibeacon.com/power52-lawsuits/

  6. Common sense says:

    Just more discriminatory garbage from this man who should know better, it’s bad enough to have to live with this in our daily lives, but, to have it coming from a leader of a British Territory is just unacceptable. But, let’s hope that’s just temporary.

  7. informed says:

    Did anyone read the Beacon story about the Government not giving bid oppertunities process for the solar farm on Anegada and wavered the process to an outside firm, then they come up with this story. Im so confused as they do one thing and say another.

    Like 12
  8. Hmm says:

    Implying that the know how is already resident amongst Belongers. Or, perhaps, the notion is that this is all easy after you watch a couple of YouTube videos.

  9. Lights off nobody’s at home says:

    $6000 charge at the moment to hook up to grid God knows how often they will increase it your investment in the equipment your hurricane insurance zero risk to Government , where is the real insensitive!

  10. BVI says:

    This has BVI written all over it. Which family is e connected to?

  11. Curious says:

    A number of successful local companies been installing solar system for over 10 years here in the BVI. The Industry is not new, it was simply illegal to support them unless you owned a house on a private island….

  12. Maths says:

    1. The cost of investment in the equipment
    2. The cost of insurance to replace hurricane damaged equipment
    3. The outrageous license cost to connect to back feed to the BVI grid which is open ended and can increase at anytime!
    4. The pathetic return on kw hours the Government says it’s going to pay
    5. Do you like drinking COOL AID!

  13. Lg says:

    SO WHY DID BVI GO INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH A KNOWN TROUBLESOME US COMPANY / PERSON FOR ANAGADA PROJECT WHEN THERE ARE LOCAL COMPANIES CAPABLE?

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