The Natural Gas Act, 2024 established the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) as the independent regulator of the natural gas sector (NGS) in The Bahamas and provides a statutory framework for the introduction of natural gas into the energy mix of The Bahamas.

URCA published an initial compendium of regulatory measures inclusive of licenses, regulations and codes that comprised the framework for the regulation of the NGS on 1 October 2024 (URCA 02/2024), which established the initial licenses, regulations, and codes for the NGS in The Bahamas.

URCA has since conducted a review of the scope of the licences it initially issued for the NGS to determine whether they are fit for purpose and cover all activities contemplated under the NGA.

Consequentially, URCA considers that further licences are required to better capture the different types of activities involved in the importation of natural gas into The Bahamas, and new licence types are being introduced for construction activities in the NGS.

The full Consultation Document, which includes details on how to respond to the consultation by the deadline of 12 October 2025, can be found here: URCA NGS 06/2025 Licences Consultation Document.

The Annex to the document contains the following five Draft Licences:

URCA Draft NGS Unrestricted Import Licence

URCA Draft NGS Carrier Only Import Licence

URCA Draft NGS Commercial Only Import Licence

URCA Draft NGS Terminal Construction Licence

URCA Draft NGS Pipeline Construction Licence

Please note that a separate consultation document on the Preliminary Determination and Draft Order for an exemption from the requirement to obtain a licence to import NGS into The Bahamas can be found here: NGS 05/2025.