Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, August  5, 2023 – Fuel Factor Rates in the Turks and Caicos Islands continue to decrease, taking some of the energy burden off of consumers; similarly, gas prices are going down.

Fortis TCI made the fuel factor announcement via their Facebook page recently, indicating rates had decreased by 10.42 percent in July.

Residents in the Turks and Caicos became even better acquainted with their fuel factor rates than usual last year when the rising fuel costs globally resulted in skyrocketing bills.  The continued decline is a welcome relief for residents.

“Factors that influence your electricity costs include the amount of energy you consume every month and the price of fuel,” Fortis reminded.  “The fuel factor rate on July’s electricity bill for Providenciales, North Caicos, and Middle Caicos customers has decreased by 10.42 percent from the prior month’s $0.1986 to $0.1779 per kilowatt hour (“kWh”).  Grand Turk and Salt Cay customers’ fuel factor rates also reflect a significant decline, with a 9.4 percent reduction from the prior month’s $0.2019 to $ 0.1829 per kWh.  This month’s fuel factor rate for South Caicos will become available soon.  It is worth noting that South Caicos fuel factor rate for last month (June) decreased by 8 percent from the prior month’s $0.2109 to $0.1941 per kWh,” the company indicated.

The cost of oil has continued to fall globally, affecting not just energy but gasoline as well.  A look at the July fuel prices across the Turks and Caicos reveals that Providenciales residents are now paying less than they did in March 2022, before the inflation spike, as has become the trend in the last several months.  The cheapest stations were grants on Leeward Highway and K&T Gas Station (Regular Gas) and Caicos Oil (Diesel).

In Grand Turk, prices were still higher than in March 2022 for the most part.  The cheapest stations were Sunset Marina  (Ed Dickenson Gas Ltd.) at $6.50 and Fulford Gas Station (Alonzo Malcolm Gas Station) at $7.10.  In North Caicos, of the three stations, Core Resources was cheapest at $ 6.99 per gallon.

South Caicos residents have seen no change in fuel prices and continue to pay $11 per gallon for gas.

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, July 2, 2023 – In its bid to bring clean energy to the country, the Government must take care not to exclude stakeholders, both large and small or the process could end in failure. That was the underpinning message from Farayi Chipungu, Lecturer at Harvard Law School as she delivered her keynote speech on adaptive leadership at the TCI Energy Forum on June 2nd.

While emphasizing the importance of expert communication, she stressed that this transition needed input from all around because of its nature as an adaptive problem.

“Just starting with the nature of the problem, quite often people have either never seen the challenge before or some people can see the challenge and others can’t, so we can’t even agree about the fact that there is a problem in the first place,” she said using climate change as an example.

Despite the obvious effects of climate change, many large companies, and even countries continue to deny the depth of the issue, slowing down work towards a solution.

Chipungu said the implications of these types of complex problems was that the solutions also tended to be murky.

“The work when the challenge is adaptive is not just with experts, because when challenges are adaptive, you can’t take the challenge off people’s shoulders.  The people with the problem tend to be a part of the challenge, but they also tend to be the solution.”

She stressed too that tangible change had to be seen in those affected by the problem, and to do this they had to be involved in the search for a fix.

“You can have all the expertise in the world, but if the people with the problem can’t get involved then the problem is not going to be fixed.”

Another example of an adoptive challenge she says, was COVID-19, where while experts knew what to do to save lives and shared the information, residents had a great burden of responsibility to keep themselves safe and to keep others safe with their own actions.

“A management consulting firm can fly on this island and give you a wonderful 50 page deck on what a clean energy transition could look like— a governor or a minister or a premier can give a directive to say these are the five steps that we need to follow or a CEO can say we need to collaborate more effectively— but of course, you don’t really have a solution until it’s lived in the hearts and minds of all the people up and down the value chain.”

She stressed that while change appears to be difficult, people make changes that they believe are good for them, tending to avoid loss. She encouraged though, that there is some level of loss in every change, and in order to get to the sweet benefits, residents and companies must decide what losses they are willing to absorb.

She had advice for the Government and large companies on how to mitigate this.

“[If] we move in a way that doesn’t acknowledge the loss and pain that people feel then they push back— but if you’re able to acknowledge and see that loss, you can think about how much you can cushion it to make it easier for people.” She continued, “in this change, there will be losses in terms of financial losses, money, jobs, power, there’s going to be all kinds of changes and losses, and in this conversation if we’re not able to talk to those things, then it’s very unlikely that we will be able to achieve any meaningful or sustainable change.”

Anchoring change around the people it affects the most, for example, the residence of the Turks and Caicos, allow those leading the change to not only see aspects of change like speed and the size of investment, much clearer, but to make that change much smoother for both large companies and the small man.

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, June 19, 2023 – The Turks and Caicos has a booming economy and electricity costs are a significant burden for residents, so why isn’t the clean energy transition happening faster ?

Shernelle Capron, Director of Financial Services and Supply Chain Management at Fortis TCI explained some of the behind the scenes metrics that affect the move

Speaking at the Turks and Caicos Energy Forum Capron said that the process to financing the massive transition was a balancing act with both pitfalls and benefits specific to the TCI.

“These clean energy projects require a significant investment, but alongside that it is important for us to balance the needs of our stakeholders and maintain the integrity of the existing grids.”

She revealed that this year most of the company’s budget was being funneled toward sustaining the grids (28 percent) and new clean energy projects (50 percent) but money wasn’t as easy to get as it may seem.

“Just looking at these numbers it’s a lot of cash flow that goes on behind the scenes. It’s not just automatic and a lot of our capital projects are mostly financed by debt.”

To get those loans Fortis must abide by the metrics set by their creditors, which are also affected by geo-political issues around the globe like the Russia/Ukraine invasion, supply chain issues and more.

“It’s actually a big issue that the electricity company is dealing with— one of the things that we are finding is that there are daily price hikes in these critical materials and supplies that are needed to run the operations as well as the renewable energy projects. As we go through this transition, I know we talked about the cost of renewable energy, but  [also important] is even the availability of these critical supplies.”

Exploring how financial institutions locally and internationally could boost green financing she suggested more customized financing options that are geared to lowering the cost of this renewable energy transition. The key to fixing the issue and agreeing on solutions that benefit companies and residents was partnership, she stressed.

The utility company cannot be expected to do this on our own when we need to come to the table because the decisions we make are going to affect the entire Turks and Caicos Islands. You can’t look at this in isolation or be selfish about it. it has  to be done with partnership”

Echoing statements by Washington Misick, TCI Premier, she said the lack of a specific regulatory framework is the biggest barrier to the clean energy transition locally. The government has promised that establishing a regulatory system is a priority of the Administration.

Staff Writer  

#TurksandCaicos, April 3, 2023 – The cost of electricity and the fuel factor calculation on customers’ bills were some of the topics recently discussed in a recent high-level meeting between FortisTCI and the new Commissioner of Energy and Utilities, Delano Arthur. Also discussed was the company’s generation fleet, and capital investment, all topics of great concern to TCI residents.

The announcement came from the electricity company’s representative Nikiria John in a March 30th press release. It indicated that Arthur hit the ground running last week, meeting with the electricity provider to ‘discuss the energy industry and regulatory reform of the sector.’

He met with Ruth Forbes, President and CEO, and several other high-ranking executives of the team. Forbes who is a Turks and Caicos native expressed pleasure at the meeting

“This meeting was an opportunity for us, as the energy provider to the TCI, and the regulator, to build upon prior discussions on charting the way forward for the electricity sector. We welcomed the open and transparent dialogue and the Commissioner’s interest in advancing good-faith negotiations on regulatory reform. We see this as a critical step to support the rapidly evolving energy sector,” she maintained.

Arthur, alongside Dr. Eric Salamanca, energy Analyst, toured the Providenciales Power Plant for a first-hand view of the company’s operations, fuel storage facilities, the mechanical workshop, and the operators’ control center, according to the press release.

With a vote of confidence from the Deputy Governor, Arthur’s appointment was announced in January, at which point the second-generation Turks and Caicos Islander had expressed that he was “grateful to be part of the team that will pioneer the way in strengthening the Regulatory Regime for Energy and Utilities.”

Staff Writer  

#TurksandCaicos, March 31, 2023 – The fuel factor rate for the March electricity bills from Fortis TCI has dropped by as much as 18 percent in some parts of the Turks and Caicos; the announcement, a welcome one for residents, was made by the electricity company on Tuesday, March 28th. 

Last July, FortisTCI fingered the fuel factor rate, informed directly by the rising cost of fuel globally, as the reason behind shocking, in some cases doubled increases in bills that many residents protested.  The fuel factor is confirmed by the Government before it can be passed on to residents and informs the raising and lessening of all electricity bills no matter the usage.  

Fortis says the decline in global fuel prices is what has driven the fuel factor down so dramatically.  

The islands enjoying the largest decrease of 18 percent are Providenciales, North Caicos, and Middle Caicos, as their fuel factor rate decreased from $0.2623 to $0.2141 per kilowatt hour.  Grand Turk and Salt Cay customers got a double digit decrease as well with 13 percent shaved off of their prices; from $0.2576 per kWh to $0.2218 on their March electricity bills. 

Electricity bills got so high that the Government had to step in and partner with Fortis TCI to provide the Fuel Factor Stabilization Credit, which capped electricity prices at $0.20 per kilowatt hour for four months.  That credit was not renewed when it expired in December, but Fortis TCI had comforted residents with the assurance that the rate would continue to go down and it has.  

During the life of the Stabilization Credit, which got a Government allocation of $3 million, residents reported saving hundreds of dollars each month on their power bills.

Clement Howell High School and International School of TCI won the 2023 National Science Project Competition.

Clement Howell High School won with a project titled ‘Don’t Whine Over Your Brine’, which investigated a method of treating brine from reverse osmosis to provide a better use for the concentrate and reduce the amount of waste discarded into the sea. Raymond Gardiner High School placed second with its Barbie Beach Bricks research project, followed by Holy Family Academy in third place with an OpenCV Speed Radar project.

Holy Family Academy also received the coveted President’s Award from FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes as a special recognition for “outstanding creativity, innovative thinking and skillful execution in scientific pursuit.” Mrs. Forbes judged all high school projects for these criteria and Holy Family Academy emerged as the winner.

International School of TCI won the 2023 National Science Project Competition primary school segment with an experiment that investigated pollution levels in Providenciales. Eliza Simons Primary School secured second place with a project on growing scallion using hydroponics, followed by Providence International in third place with a project on economical batteries.

Clement Howell High School also won the National Science Poster Competition – Creative Art category, followed by Maranatha Academy in second place and Elite High School in third place.

The Graphic Art category recorded two entries, with Holy Family Academy securing the highest score against Raymond Gardiner High School. Providence International was the only primary school in this category.

Provo Christian School won the National Primary School Science Quiz, followed by Enid Capron Primary School in second place and Adelaide Oemler Primary School in third place.

Clement Howell High School won against seven other participating high schools. The winning ‘Don’t Whine Over Your Brine’ research experiment investigated a method of treating brine from reverse osmosis to provide a better use for the concentrate and reduce the amount of waste discarded into the sea.

Raymond Gardiner High School placed second with its Barbie Beach Bricks research experiment. The investigation focused on recycling water plastic bottles mixed with sand to create bricks for a walkway pavement and to compare this product with commercial bricks.

Holy Family Academy secured third place with an OpenCV Speed Radar experiment, which a developed a program to track vehicles accurately and detect their speed in a video feed. The school also received the coveted President’s Award from FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes as a special recognition for “outstanding creativity, innovative thinking and skillful execution in scientific pursuit.” Mrs. Forbes judged all high school projects for these criteria and Holy Family Academy emerged as the winner.

Other high school projects consisted of experiments, which used recycled plastic bottles to create greenhouses to hasten the growth of tomato seedlings, explored the effectiveness of solar panels in reducing schools’ carbon footprint, and the potency of bacteria in the root nodules of the Australian pine as a natural fertilizer. High school teams also investigated the prospects of a wireless charging road to demonstrate its feasibility in a changing technological era. Another experiment highlighted hydro-living in TCI, focusing on energy sources and an aqua sanctuary for the growth and breeding of fish.

International School of TCI won the 2023 National Science Project Competition primary school segment with an experiment that investigated pollution levels in Providenciales. Eliza Simons Primary School secured second place with a project on growing scallion using hydroponics, followed by Providence International in third place with a project on economical batteries.

Other research experiments conducted by participating primary schools included the diversity of Aloe, the use of soldier bush for fat reduction, how sugar affects memory, and how temperature affects seed growth.

Clement Howell High School also won the National Science Poster Competition – Creative Art category, followed by Maranatha Academy in second place and Elite High School in third place.

The Graphic Art category has two entries, with Holy Family Academy securing the highest score against Raymond Gardiner High School. Providence International was the only primary school with an entry in the graphic arts category.

#fortistcisciencefair2023 #scienceandtechnology #science #education #turksandcaicosislands

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, March 9, 2023 – Hundreds of promised streetlights will finally make it to communities of the Turks and Caicos this year according to Jamell Robinson, Minister of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development (PPID). 

“Our annual budget from FortisTCI is about 250 lights, but we are looking to invest another $1 million in solar lights that should get us another 500. So over the next year that should get us 750 lights across the country.”

Street lights had been raised by the Premier at the start of the country’s most notorious crime wave in the final quarter of 2022; said then to be critical for safety and security and as a deterrent to crime.

Robinson, was however speaking at more recent press conference held at Crackpot Kitchen on March 1 and attended by all Departments in the Ministry of PPID. The project is covered under the $5 million re-allocation for roads and electrification as part of the 3rd Supplementary Appropriations Bill recently tabled in the House of Assembly.

“We wanna light up the place not with just regular electricity but with solar.” He said, “So in those areas that we can do that it will make a big difference for communities across the country. Some will be in communities, some will be on the highways. Wherever there is darkness we intend to put light over these 12 months,” he promised.

The staple event spanned ten successful years before the hiatus, and this year’s installment will feature four competitions under the science fair umbrella. These competitions are the FortisTCI National High School Science Debate, National Primary School Science Quiz, National Science Poster Competition, and National Science Project Competition.

The debate preliminaries will be followed by the science quiz, debate semifinals, finals, poster, and project competitions on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, and Thursday, March 9, 2023, at Gustavus Lightbourne Sports Complex during Education Week. The National Science Project Competition comprises 18 entries from high and primary schools, while the science quiz has 14 primary schools registered to compete. The science poster competition has up to 16 primary and high schools registered.

A closing awards ceremony and announcement of winners across all competitions will be held at the sports complex on Thursday, March 9, starting at 5:00 pm. The public is invited to any and all events to support the nation’s bright young minds.

FortisTCI President and CEO Ruth Forbes, stated: “The National Science and Technology fair is one of our largest and longstanding community events.

We are proud to steer the return of this grand occasion during Education Week. The fair and its associated championships provide a space where ideas are birthed, and innovation can blossom. Even during the event’s two-year hiatus, alternative programs were introduced by FortisTCI to ensure these crucial areas in education remain at the forefront. We take pride in our role as good corporate citizens and our ongoing work in youth development and the wider community.”

The bill payment kiosk offers dual languages, have built-in security features, and accepts payments via check, cash, and cards.  It is a touch-screen platform with visual and audio instructions for an easy, quick and seamless experience.

The kiosk account look-up feature allows customers to select their service territory and search for their information by account number and name or phone number, and their name.  The balance on the account then appears.

Customers also have the flexibility to pay multiple accounts simultaneously, saving time.  Payments in the exact amount are encouraged as the kiosk does not provide change.  Customers have the option to receive a printed receipt or a receipt via email to be environmentally conscious. Payments are posted by the next business day.

Customers who utilize the new kiosk are automatically entered into a random drawing to win attractive prizes, which include a 60-second grocery shopping spree at Sunny Foods Blue Hills and a Nest Hub Max Smart Home Speaker with Google Assistant, and Phillips Hue Light Bulb Starter Kit.

FortisTCI has constantly transformed its services to provide customers with excellence, convenience, and instant access to account services. The new self-service kiosk is its latest customer-facing technology, which meets customers where they are, reflects evolving customer preferences, and mirrors features of the 21st-century electricity service.