The Renewable Energy Industry in CARIFORUM Countries

SURINAME

RENEWABLE ENERGY INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDER ASSESSMENT

3.14 | SURINAME

economic activities are the export of bauxite, gold, petroleum and agricultural products.

The Suriname electricity utility, Energie Bedrijven Suriname (EBS) is owned by the Government and has a total installed capacity of 506.2 MW with about 196.5 MW of RE capacity from hydropower. They are actively involved in RE generation for the grid but not for individual customers within the competitive RE industry.

Suriname is an independent Caribbean territory bordered by French Guiana and Brazil to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. It spans an area of 163,820 square Kilometres and had a population of 581,372 people as of 2019 (UN, 2019). Its main

3.14.1 | LEAD GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES

The Ministry of Natural Resources is the lead ministry with responsibility for the energy portfolio in Suriname. The Government is in the process of creating a Suriname Energy Authority (SEA) which will deal with all matters related to energy, including RE and other regulatory responsibilities which will impact the RE Industry. The ministry has a staff of 850 persons, some of which may be transferred to the new Energy Authority to develop that industry. There is a focus on PV, Hydropower and WtE. While there is an old policy which caters to the connection of utility scale IPPs, there is not yet a completed policy that considers the wider energy sector including RE. Some enhancement work is on-going on the policies and action plans and there is much work still outstanding to facilitate interconnection of RE systems, tariffs for distributed generation and the supporting regulations. The lead Ministry’s relationship with the other external stakeholders is depicted in the diagram below.

UTILITIES REGULATOR

PRIVATE SECTOR INSTITUTIONS

REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS

LEAD GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES

FUNDING AGENCIES

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

RENEWABLE ENERGY COMPANIES

Figure 3.69 – Relationships of Suriname’s Lead Government Ministries

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The Renewable Energy Industry in CARIFORUM Countries