SLYOU Magazine Issue 1 | Page 34

The NURC Team The National Utilities Regulatory Commission (NURC) is a statutory body with strong regulatory powers and responsibilities. The NURC was established by the Government of Saint Lucia to safeguard the promotion of the highest quality of utility services at fair and reasonable rates while building a credible regulatory regime that responds adequately to stakeholders’ concerns. In the conduct of its regulatory functions, the NURC is guided by the legislative and regulatory framework set out in the National Utilities Regulatory Commission Act (No. 3 of 2016), which empowers the Commission with the regulatory tools and authority required for effectiveness. This framework gives the NURC broad responsibility for licensing and economic regulation of utility services within the energy, water and sewerage sectors in Saint Lucia. The NURC is further authorized to licence and regulate all renewable energy generation by private persons or entities; and 32 SL-YOU | Business, People & Lifestyle where applicable, sets rates, technical and service standards for the sectors and entities that it regulates. The NURC, as the regulating authority for renewable energy, is also charged with the responsibility of issuing permits to persons wishing to generate electricity from a renewable source. In keeping with this mandate, the Commission has developed and published interconnection application procedures for the generation of electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) sources. The procedures are inclusive of a PV application form which is mandatory for applicants seeking to connect to LUCELEC’s electrical network. As the economic regulator for water supply services and sewerage services, the NURC is responsible for establishing, approving, reviewing and monitoring tariff schemes and tariffs in accordance with the Water and Sewerage Act Cap. 9.03 as amended by the NURC Act. Furthermore, the Commission works assiduously to ensure that the highest quality www.slyoumag.com | July-August 2019