ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Senior Legislator in the Virgin Islands House of Assembly, Hon Julian Fraser RA (R3) has called for a more reliable supply of electricity in the VI, more so, that the need for emergency generators become necessary only for essential services.
Hon Fraser’s calls came during debates in the House of Assembly in his support for Sheldon Scatliffe as Board Chairman BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) in the Second Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth House of Assembly on Friday, July 7, 2023.
In the Cabinet meeting of June 7, 2023, chaired by His Excellency, Governor John J. Rankin, at the Premier’s Conference Room where all members were present, Scatliffe received Cabinet approval to be appointed as Chairman of the BVI Electricity Corporation’s (BVIEC) Board, according to Cabinet statements released on Friday, June 23, 2023.
According to statements of meeting, it said, “Mr. Sheldon Scatliffe be appointed as Chairman of the BVI Electricity Corporation’s Board, in accordance with section 4 (1)(a) of the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation Ordinance (Cap. 277), with effect from the date that approval for such appointment has been obtained by a Resolution passed by the House of Assembly and subject to section 5 of the British Virgin Islands Electricity Corporation Ordinance (Cap. 277).”
Frequent power outages
Hon Fraser said on moving to Tortola in the early 90s, he could not stand the frequent power outages and was encouraged to get a backup generator by a then-manager of the BVIEC.
“Every time I go to the office… Every week the power would go off, in the middle in whatever you are doing… my job it was required to have computer, and one day I got to the point where I said this was disgusting I can’t take it anymore,” he said.
Hon Fraser said he did not even know what was an emergency generator given he had not experienced electricity surges outside of Tortola, ”And when I look around the territory, every establishment has an emergency generator so it became a norm around here,” he added.
Hon Fraser added, “I want to see that become an exception, Madam Speaker. Where only very, very essential services like the hospital will have an emergency generator. I know there are those who think it’s impossible, but I think it’s possible.”
Opposition leader, Hon Ronnie W. Skelton (AL) however warned that generators may still have purpose when other forms of electricity fail reminding that the VI is an island that is isolated and there is a need for more forms of renewable energy.
