Government: one more window of opportunity for discourse on Electricity Bill

Published on September 1, 2025

Minister for Infrastructure Stephenson King Saint Lucians are being given ‘one more window of opportunity for additional public ventilation and scrutiny’ of the proposed Electricity Bill.

The Bill, first presented in March was withdrawn for more public consultation. It was presented to Parliament for a second time in August 2025, this time for first reading.

In his statement to Parliament Mr. King gave a detailed account of the decade long journey of efforts to reform the electricity sector.

Mr. King told Parliament that “notwithstanding this extensive process, there are individuals at this time who are expressing concerns about the draft legislation and still asking for an opportunity to make a contribution”.

The Minister for Infrastructure says government’s decision to allow more time for public comment ‘is a demonstration of transparency’ and ‘tolerance’.

He said he’d received calls from important stakeholders, the Chamber of Commerce and the former Minister for Sustainable Development for ‘at least an extra two weeks’ to consolidate thoughts on the Bill.

Mr. King expected the second reading to take place at the next or subsequent sitting of the House likely to be in early September 2025.

The Minister is hoping for a more robust discussion on the proposed bill and called on Saint Lucians to seize the ‘window of opportunity’ to take a hard look at the proposed legislation.

He lamented the poor turnout at a well publicised consultation held in Castries. No one showed up. He confirmed that consultations took place in Gros Islet, Soufriere, Micoud, Dennery and Vieux-Fort.

The Minister’s full statement can be seen here