Prime Minister Philip Davis’s Keynote Address at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the New Providence Gas LNG Terminal

Good afternoon,

I often say that, as Bahamians, there are certain things that matter most to our daily lives.

Fans and air conditioners that keep us cool.
A refrigerator that keeps food fresh.
And for business owners, being able to open, serve our customers, and pay our employees.

Affordable, reliable electricity makes all of this possible.

And so, it is a privilege to stand with you today as we introduce LNG at Clifton Pier – an important milestone for our country – and begin a new chapter in how we power The Bahamas.

Today represents our commitment to build an energy future that is stronger, cleaner, and more reliable for our people.

Over the past few weeks, many Bahamians have experienced the consequences of an unreliable energy system. Families felt the inconvenience, and communities across New Providence saw what happens when systems are interrupted.

Your frustration is real and your concerns are valid. 

This has been one of the hottest summers on record, and across the globe, power grids are straining under the weight of extreme heat, surging demand, storms, and infrastructure that was never built for the pressures we face today.

That tells us this is not a challenge unique to The Bahamas – but it does not make what happened here any easier to accept.

From the outset, we have chosen to be straightforward with you about the true condition of our energy sector, and this administration was elected on a promise of progress – to finish what previous governments left unfinished, and to confront problems that had been deferred for far too long. 

That is why this step toward LNG is so important.

This project is part of a broader effort to strengthen our energy foundation and to give families the confidence that when they turn on the lights, the power will be there. 

That is the work of government. And while progress is not always dramatic, over the years, those decisions shape the lives of a nation.

When this administration came into office in 2021, we understood the condition of the energy sector we inherited. 

We did not inherit a system that simply needed minor repairs. We inherited a grid that, in parts, was over fifty years old – infrastructure built for a Bahamas that no longer exists, straining to meet the demands of the one we live in today.

We were honest with the Bahamian people about what we found. 

Sixty percent of generation capacity in New Providence required total replacement. In the Family Islands, that number climbed to eighty percent. 

This was not a system that could be patched. It was a system that had to be rebuilt.

Building a modern system would require patience and consistency. And that is the approach we have taken – focusing on generation, fuel security, and the network itself. 

In June 2023, we announced a multifaceted mitigation approach – one that brought solar technology to the Family Islands, opened negotiations for cleaner energy sources in New Providence, and piloted Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion systems across nine islands, technology capable of delivering both carbon-neutral energy and drinking water.

That December, we turned our attention squarely to the Family Islands, formally launching a Request for Proposals for solar energy microgrids. 

By November of 2024, at the Energy Summit, we went further still, laying out what we called our New Energy Vision — a six-point plan to reform the sector from the ground up. 

By April of 2025, that vision moved from planning to action. We shifted from policy to physical implementation, signing localized utility agreements, and we announced a one-point-one-four billion dollar transformation plan – anchored by the new LNG terminal we are breaking ground on today.

None of this happened by accident, and none of it happened overnight. 

Each of these milestones – the pilots, the RFPs, the summit, the agreements, the billion-dollar investment – represents a government doing exactly what it said it would do: facing a broken system honestly, and doing the work required to rebuild it, one deliberate step at a time.

For Bahamians, the expectation is straightforward:

The power challenges must be addressed.

The interruptions must be reduced.

The cost of energy must go down.

Those expectations are reasonable, and they are expectations we share.

And so, today’s introduction of LNG is a major step because it allows us to diversify our fuel supply, strengthen energy security, and support a more reliable electricity system.

We have set a clear target: 30% renewable energy generation across the archipelago by 2030, with 128 megawatts of solar. And that transition is already underway.

Since 2021, the number of solar systems in The Bahamas has nearly doubled, with capacity increasing by more than 150 percent.

We’ve commissioned a solar-and-battery microgrid that supplies 90 percent of Ragged Island’s power, and solar installations now power schools, clinics, and the University of The Bahamas.

With 70 megawatts of solar planned for New Providence and more than 26 megawatts advancing in Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma, LNG provides the stability we need to integrate significantly more renewable energy into our grids.

There will be other steps ahead. Some will receive public attention. Others will happen behind the scenes. But together, they will form part of my administration’s commitment: to transform The Bahamas’ energy system to one that is more dependable and efficient.

I want to thank everyone whose expertise has brought us to this point, especially Shell and FOCOL, as well as Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis and the Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Aviation.

My friends, progress is always a shared effort, and today reflects the power of partnership.

Before I close, I want to speak directly to the Bahamian people: As Prime Minister, every decision this administration makes comes back to one question: how does this improve the lives of Bahamians?

I have directed every ministry to measure its work against that standard, and it is the same standard by which you should judge this administration. 

The challenges of the past remind us that there is still much work to be done. 

That is why my commitment to you is straightforward.

Your government will continue working toward a Bahamas where the lights stay on and where energy can support the hopes and ambitions of the Bahamian people.

We will continue strengthening our infrastructure. And we will continue pursuing solutions that usher in the new energy era of The Bahamas.

May God bless this site, and may God continue to bless the Bahamas.

Thank you.