~Inefficiencies will not be passed on to consumers~
PHILIPSBURG-- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten has instructed NV GEBE to demonstrate compliance with its Electricity Concession and submit a complete proposed tariff structure within 30 days.
This move from the minister is activating formal compliance mechanisms that have not been used in many years. The statement was made during the live Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday.
In explaining her role in this matter, the minister said over the past months, the Prime Minister led the stabilisation phase at the company, which required direct crisis management to ensure continuity of service. With stability now restored at the national utility company and a new Supervisory Board, new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and new Chief Operations Officer (COO) in place, government is moving from crisis management to regulation, compliance and lawful tariff oversight under the Ministry of TEATT.
“On January 20th, in my capacity as Minister of TEATT, I formally instructed GEBE to demonstrate compliance with its Electricity Concession and to submit a complete proposed tariff structure within 30 days,” she stated. “This request is not optional. Any tariff proposal will be reviewed, verified, and assessed for legality, justification, and fairness before government takes a position.”
She explained that the regulatory work is grounded in the Bureau Telecommunications and Post/Curacao’s regulatory authority BTP/RAC evaluation completed in April 2025, which identified gaps in data, transparency and reporting that must be addressed before any tariff adjustment can responsibly be considered.
In parallel, government is advancing legislation to expand the Bureau of Telecommunications and Post into a full Regulatory Authority to ensure independent, professional oversight of essential services, including electricity.
“Let me be clear: government will not allow inefficiencies to be passed on to consumers. Any tariff structure must be transparent, non-discriminatory, and include properly structured social protections, including for seniors,” the Minister said.
“GEBE is a government-owned company. It belongs to the people of St Maarten, and it must operate in their best interest,” Heyliger-marten made clear.
