Utilities provider GEBE conducting a full tariff study (see Monday newspaper) is in principle understandable. There have been persistent complaints about seemingly exorbitant bills for years, well before the debilitating 2022 ransomware attack. Involving an independent firm could help provide more clarity.
However, Prime Minister Luc Mercelina on June 10 told Parliament during the Central Committee’s 2025 budget debate that he had asked the government-owned company’s Supervisory Board to instruct management to correct “identified irregularities” in the fuel clause. According to him, this should bring the electricity fuel tariff down 6-7 Caribbean guilder cents per kilowatt hour, resulting in 19% lower electricity bills for the July billing cycle.
Recently-appointed CEO Thomas Roggendorf mentioned that as of June GEBE’s fuel clause was Cg. 0.31 with a base electricity rate of Cg. 0.25, totalling Cg. 0.56 or US $0.31 per kilowatt hour. He said this is in line with last year’s regional average among islands that rely on diesel-powered plants and have limited renewable energy capacity, adding that St. Maarten’s company had not changed its base electricity rate since 2011, despite advice to make it Cg. 0.29 back then.
So, does all this mean expected price reductions announced by the prime minister are on hold pending new research? After all, his proposal was based on findings of the Regulatory Authority Curaçao (RAC) in collaboration with the local Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP).
The new CEO asked the pubic to be patient, but consumers have been awaiting any bit of relief for a long time. Further study is always welcome, but the people would like to see concrete results sooner rather than later.
