The Electricity Supply Act of 2006 was passed in Parliament on Thursday evening. The main object of the Bill is to “establish an Independent Regulatory Commission with the sole and exclusive authority to regulate all electricity entities and to regulate all licences with regard to all economic and technical aspects of regulation especially with regard to the determination of tariff or electricity charges.

“The Bill will repeal the Electricity Supply Act of 1996 but the Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC) shall be deemed to have been licensed until 2015 but required to comply with the provisions of sections 23 and 24 of the Bill within six months of the commencement of the Act to have the tariff determined.”

The Electricity Supply Act of 2006 has two main features:

• A Market opened to entities interested in generating, transmitting, distributing and supplying electricity on the island;
• It establishes an Independent Regulatory Commission (IRC) for the purpose of monitoring and regulating the sector, through the performance of specific functions and powers as laid out in the Act.

In introducing the Bill to Parliament, George referred to the Electricity Supply Act of 1996.

“Madam Speaker, Act No 21 of 1996 has been in existence for the past ten years and whilst the general purpose of the Act was to provide electricity to the consumers of Dominica, one cannot say that this objective has been met without severe limitations.

“Madam Speaker, this Government recognizes the dynamism of the global business and competitive environment which prevails today; one in which all interested parties need to be given the opportunity to enter or leave virtually any sector that they wish to invest in. Implied in this freedom to compete is the need for central regulation and monitoring to ensure compliance and an even playing field. It is in this framework, Madam Speaker that we propose the new Electricity Supply Act of 2006.”

The new Electricity Supply Act of 2006 passed the committee stage on Thursday night with several amendments.

During a division on the Electricity Supply Act of 2006, apart from support from all the members of the Government side present, Opposition Member of Parliament for the Grand Fond Constituency, Abraham Brown, voted with the Government.