President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih signed into law the Maldives Energy Act on Monday, which was passed by the People’s Majlis in September.
The new legislation creates a legal framework for energy provision in the Maldives, addressing both production and consumption. It also establishes consumer and service provider rights, such as the standards of quality that providers must maintain and the duty to price appropriately.
The Act also tackles energy enhancement with the goal of providing environmentally safe and sustainable energy services. it requires tolerance for climate change and knowledge of the carbon imprint, in addition to outlining actions to decrease spending and encourage greener techniques and technologies of generating and distributing energy.
This Act also specifies the safe, secure, and appropriate storage and maintenance of energy-related items, as well as the rights and duties of energy consumers and providers. It establishes the regulations for issuing licences to energy service providers, as well as the transition to a renewable-energy-based economy and meeting the Maldives’ carbon-neutral targets.
It also provides procedures for acting against people who purposefully harm energy resources and services, as well as insufficient energy service providers.
The approval of this Act renders the current Maldives Energy Act (Act no. 4/96), as well as the Public Services Act, null and void. According to the Act, the rules that must be drafted under the Act shall be published within 12 months of the Act’s effective date.
