Plans for Bermuda to use liquefied natural gas as its main fuel for generating electricity would not deliver genuine energy independence to the island, according to Greenrock.

Eugene Dean, the chairman of the sustainability charity, said that LNG still produced harmful carbon emissions and that investment in the fuel would take money away from renewable projects.

He made the comments after the Regulatory Authority approved the latest Integrated Resource Plan, which sets out Bermuda’s energy future for the foreseeable future.

The IRP, submitted by energy supplier Belco, appeared to reverse the previous IRP approved by the RA, which emphasised a much faster conversion to renewable energies such as solar and wind power.

It argued that switching to liquefied natural gas as Bermuda’s primary fuel source, while adding offshore wind and increasing solar capacity, would decarbonise the energy mix, improve resilience and keep supply affordable, according to the 2026 Integrated Resource Plan.

The 2026 IRP aims to help navigate the challenges facing the island’s electricity system by comparing long‑term pathways and identifying a preferred direction. It is a planning framework and does not approve projects or commit to investments.

A proposal focusing on a move away from heavy fuels to LNG for thermal generation, while also combining new solar and wind generation, came out on top of a list of scenarios modelled in the document.

By 2050, the preferred pathway chosen in the plan is predicted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 64 per cent and bring renewable energy generation up to 52 per cent. It is estimated to have a total expenditure of $7.85 billion.

However, Mr Dean said LNG still produced harmful carbon emissions and that investment in the fuel would take money away from renewable projects.

While welcoming the proposed expansion of solar, offshore wind and battery storage, he said Greenrock did not support adopting LNG without “significantly” more independent analysis.

Read more here: https://www.royalgazette.com/environment/news/article/20260826/regulator-approves-lng-plan-for-islands-energy-future/