Barbados Senator Darcy Boyce is calling for a partnership between the government, private sector and homeowners to work together to cut energy consumption on the island. Boyce, who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Energy and Telecommunications, made the call at the launch of the Support to the Sustainable Energy Framework of Barbados Pilot Project. “The domestic demand for oil is about 10,000 barrels per day,” he said. “Since we produce less than 1,000 barrels per day, we must import more than 9,000 barrels of oil per day.” According to Boyce, Barbados’ oil imports cost $230 million in 2009 and 2010, roughly 6 percent of the country’s GDP — about as much as it spends on education. A 20 percent reduction in use by the government alone could yield $12 million in savings, he said.

–Barbados Information Service