Agencies Achievements & Ongoing Initiatives
In the area of oil exploration Bahamas Petroleum Company is in its first renewal licence period, and is required
by law to drill a well within the first year of their renewal. It is expected that the cost of drilling their first well
will be in the range of 150 million to 200 million dollars. For this year the government has received over 1.47
million dollars in rental fees, with additional fees expected for the year to move the total above 2 million dollars.
Annex H
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The new Petroleum Regulations will come into effect on 1 May 2016 and the expanded emphasis on
environment protection will serve this country well during the drilling process. All future and pending
applications for oil exploration licences will be considered in full under the new petroleum exploration regime.
The Ministry, with the assistance of the Commonwealth Secretariat is in the midst of preparing a mining sector
policy for the overall development of the country’s mineral resources. The policy will impact theming of
industrial grade minerals such as aragonite, limestone, salt, sand, gravel, and stone. The eventual outcome will
be an all-encompassing legal and regulatory framework for the mining sector.
With regard to renewable energy, the reduction in the cost of fossil fuels has resulted in a reduction in the
feasibility of Renewable Energy technologies. The Ministry of the Environment and Housing believes that cost
should not only be the reason for the drive behind the use of RE in the Bahamas, as another major factor which
must be taken into account is the reality of climate change, which is the result of the use of fossil fuels. Thus the
Ministry’s drive is to incorporate Renewable Energy (RE) as well as Energy Efficiency (EE) programs into our
energy mix which would lead to a significant drop in the import of fossil fuels, increased savings, energy security
for The Bahamas, and most importantly, a decrease in carbon emissions.
[508]
2016/2017
DRAFT
ESTIMATES
OF REVENUE &
EXPENDITURE
The BNGIS Centre, as the focal point for all matters related to the United Nations Global G eospatial
Information Management (UN-GGIM) Initiatives, continues in its execution of the Caribbean Geodetic
Project which is an initiative resulting out of the hard work of the United Nations Committee of Experts
on Global Geospatial Information Management that was established by the Economic and Social Council
of the United Nations. Last year with the passage of Hurricane Joaquin, The BNGIS Centre operating on
NEMA’s Emergency Support Function 5 “Planning and Information” and played a pivotal role in applying
geospatial Technologies to disaster risk management. With assistance from the U.S. Embassy and its
strategic partners, The BNGIS Centre was granted restricted Access Pre and Post Imagery of hurricane
impacted Islands including Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay, Long Island, Cat Island, Exuma, Rum Cay and
San Salvador. To date the Centre has completed surge modeling, extensive hazard and topographic
mapping for all of the impacted islands. This work will inform the recovery, reconstruction and mitigat ion
phases of Disaster Risk Management.
As a member of the Technical Advisory Committee the BNGIS continues to provide technical support to
various ongoing project executed by the Ministry of The Environment and the Office of the Prime Minister.
BNGIS also continues to support National Security on matters related to the application of geospatial
technologies for Law Enforcement.
Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS)
The Department of Environmental Health Services (DEHS) continues to vigorously pursue the elimination of
Shanty Towns and successfully eradicated 75 structures in Gamble Heights. The DEHS continues to oversight
dumpsites, transfer stations and landfills in the Family Islands despite logistical and financial challenges. This year
the DEHS, with PAHO completed the SAICM Project (St