What Passed in 2025
The most consequential policy outcome of 2025 was the quiet extension of the import duty waiver on solar equipment through December 2026. The 0% duty rate applies to solar panels, inverters, mounting hardware, and battery storage systems, and its continuation for another year removes a potential XCD 4,500-9,000 cost increase per residential installation that would have materially dampened the market. The extension was handled as a budget provision rather than standalone legislation, which is why it received limited public attention. Its practical impact on industry economics is significant.
A second win was APUA's announcement of updated interconnection application forms and an improved online submission system for net metering applicants, expected to launch in early 2026. While net metering regulations haven't been enacted, this administrative improvement signals that APUA is preparing operationally for the eventual policy change, reducing the institutional friction that has historically slowed approvals even for customers who manage to navigate the paperwork.
What Stalled in 2025
The Renewable Energy Act — the flagship legislation that would establish binding renewable targets, a formal net metering framework, and independent regulation of the electricity sector — ended 2025 in the same committee status it occupied at the start of the year. Parliamentary sources indicate that the bill faced pushback over provisions relating to APUA's regulatory oversight structure; specifically, whether a new independent energy regulator would have tariff-setting authority currently held by Cabinet. This is a genuine governance dispute, not mere delay, and resolving it will require political compromise at the ministerial level.
The APCL diesel procurement contract renewal is the most troubling policy event of 2025. APCL quietly extended its diesel supply contract for three additional years, locking in fossil fuel dependency for the generation fleet through at least 2028. This decision received almost no public scrutiny. Every year of continued diesel dependency represents both a fiscal cost (approximately XCD 120M annually in fuel spending) and an opportunity cost: the capital committed to diesel infrastructure could alternatively be funding the transition to low-cost solar and storage that the NDC demands. The procurement decision wasn't technically within the public legislative process, but the absence of any public accountability mechanism for APCL's major procurement decisions is itself a governance gap worth highlighting.
Looking Ahead to 2026
The most important policy event of 2026 will be the completion — or failure — of the IDB-backed utility-scale solar procurement process. A 10-25MW solar project would transform Antigua's renewable energy trajectory more than any combination of incremental residential installations. The procurement was expected to reach tender award by mid-2026; any delays will push the NDC target further out of reach. We'll be tracking this closely. On the regulatory front, the public consultation on net metering regulations is expected in Q1 2026 — for readers who want to influence the outcome, that consultation period will be the most important engagement opportunity in years.