Bermuda’s nine-year plan for a new energy policy was yesterday unveiled, as Government released the White Paper on Energy.Drafting of the long-anticipated policy document began with the creation of the Department of Energy in April 2008.Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Minister Walter Roban warned that implementing its policies “will be extremely demanding, and will require nothing short of a national energy transition”.The White Paper, he added, is “an excellent example to other small-island jurisdictions”, and the first of its kind among the British dependent territories.“We are pretty much ahead of the game,” he said.In an announcement attended by the Energy Department’s team, Mr Roban added: “It is noteworthy that this paper was produced in-house, without the use of foreign consultants, by a completely local staff.”At its core, the document is to guide the Island into a more sustainable energy policy.The Minister said it outlines the path to “an alternate future not bound by fossil fuels, but one where we conserve energy, use energy more efficiently, and harness indigenous renewable energy resources”.The two most critical issues driving the policy document were energy security and climate change, he said.“The primary threat to energy security in Bermuda is what has been described internationally as peak oil the time at which the world’s production of oil peaks, and thereafter enters a period of terminal decline,” he said.Mr Roban described Belco, which powers the Island using fossil fuels, as “a partner in the move to make this White Paper a reality”, and “not a bogeyman”.Turning to the issue of climate change, he said: “Climate scientists have made it very clear that greenhouse gas emissions must peak within the next few years, and then decline to less than one ton per person, on average, by 2050, to avoid dangerous changes to the global climate.”Bermudians currently produce 14 tons each.The goal is to reduce emissions below ten tons per person by 2020.“Fortunately, the technologies required to achieve the goals of the White Paper exist today and most are already affordable, so our goals can and will be reached,” Mr Roban said, citing compact fluorescent lights, solar water heating and solar photovoltaic panels as examples.Bermuda has a “policy vacuum” with fossil fuel use, the Minister continued, and legislative changes would be addressed.These include amendments to the Energy Act 2009 to cut the Island’s greenhouse emissions.It will also require transferring responsibility for Bermuda’s energy to an independent regulatory authority.A Belco spokesman said the company was pleased to be included in the Minister’s remarks, but had no comment at this time.With the policy paper’s emphasis on renewable energy, the White Paper drew a quick response from Alternative Energy Systems founder Tim Madeiros.Mr Madeiros praised its “very aggressive goals” encouraging the use of solar energy.“With Government incentives and expedited planning policies, as well as the Belco net metering policy and new financing options for solar energy customers, I believe the goals outlined in the paper are achievable,” Mr Madeiros said.Useful website: www.energy.gov.bm