The Government of Dominica has urged the Independent Regulatory Commission (IRC) to accelerate its review of electricity tariffs.
An electricity tariff is a charge that customers are required to pay per unit of electricity consumed.
The IRC and DOMLEC began the tariff review exercise in April 2022. The process usually takes nine months to one year.
“The Russian Ukraine war is having a severe impact on the cost of petroleum and petroleum products worldwide, resulting in the corresponding increase in the cost of electricity,” Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said during the last sitting of parliament. “This government is doing everything within its control to reduce the impact on families and businesses.”
Skerrit continued, “We have urged the IRC, the Independent Regulatory Commission, to accelerate its review on electricity tariff, while the government continues to push on to build and commission the geothermal plant.”
He said said his government is confident that with a reduction in the tariff by the IRC, Dominicans will experience a reduction in the electricity rates in the meantime.
“And so we are urging the IRC to complete their assessment evaluation and to make clear recommendations on reductions in tariffs,” he stated.
A tariff review exercise is conducted to:
• determine DOMLEC’s rate of return on their investment
• ensure DOMLEC is meeting its revenue requirement (the amount of money that customers are required to pay for the cost of supplying electricity over the period.)
Meanwhile, Skerrit said he is praying for an end to the Russia-Ukraine War.
The Government of Dominica, on May 1, 2022, became the majority shareholder in DOMLEC having acquired those shares from Emera, at a cost of EC$13.5 million.
Here is an example of the inefficiency that we pay for.
Over a year ago, vine growth on the line leading to my property brought the cable down and I was without electricity for 24 hours. The linesman that re-connected my cable said that they would leave instructions (which I am informed they did) for another team to immediately clear the offending growth. But this was not done.
I have since repeatedly asked DOMLEC to clear the line to avoid further disruptions to my supply. I provided a photograph of the offending vine growth. Last week the job was finally done. However, it took SIX visits for their men to identity the problem and do what one man with a manchette could have done in less than an hour.
That’s before gov’t retook over majority shares right? I’m confident things will improve
But DOMLEC tell me that in terms of day to day running, nothing will change.
Well we just took back majority shares, give us a minute but let’s keep pushing them to do right. I think after the Ross issue our boy will keep a close eye on this one. Feel free to disagree but we run it now and I’m optimistic.
Owing the majority shares will mean absolutely nothing if the shareholders are not business-minded. And clearly the owners of the shares have demonstrated their lack of business acumen, time and time again.
After the Ross issue? Seems our boy is more interested in making beggars out of people after which they become worshippers of him
Such confidence in a government that allowed a hospital and most health centres to rot to the ground, that conviction is grossly misplaced.
The public library was similarly wounded as the Marigot hospital. Many bridges were unusable due to neglect. At one point in time, the post office, court house, police stations, DSC, just to name a few others, were almost fatally destroyed from lack of maintenance. Some of these places were the living quarters of insects, rodents and vermin.
Anyone who puts trust and confidence in this incumbent regime to govern the affairs of the country efficiently, with the abundance of evidence that proves otherwise, is a monumental idiot.
But the government not easy eh!! I think the government wants an increase so that DOMLEC can be milked. That is what buying the shares is about. Just watch to see how soon and what amount will be borrowed from DOMLEC
But the government not easy eh!! I think the government wants an increase so that DOMLEC can be milked. That is what buying the share is about. Just watch to see how soon and what amount will be borrowed from DOMLEC
The double doctorate dude is praying for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war so Dominicans can see a reduction in the sky-high electric rates. This is exactly what I would expect from someone who has an honorary doctorate. When the cabal commenced the spending on geothermal energy the Americans advised that spending on renewable energy sources would be better but the Dofus figured he knows best and lampooned the American opinion. Having spent over $100 million on the geothermal and more to come without a scintilla of electricity from this investment then it’s only prayers from the universities in India which bestowed the faux titles that he can give to suffering Dominicans. He bought an electric company which needs huge capital injections to make it efficient with a shrinking customer base and went to parliament to crow about his brilliance, not realizing that he bought a Carib basket trying to catch water. Sorry Dominica but prayers aren’t going to be enough.
In other words you’d sell it again as you did before? Don’t you think you’d be dependent on ‘the Americans’ that took away your banana industry all over again?
@Asking for a friend, you speak for yourself when you opine on selling it again. I never went in that lane in my opinion. Why do you suppose that it’s the Americans only who have technology for wind, solar, wave and other technologies? I’m not in the same lane of discussion with you. Keep it focused on what I submitted because you never will and can’t speak for me. What does renewable energy have to do with the demise of the banana industry? Not a damn thing. Wise up man, and stop hating.
So what’s you Mo, Damn if you do Damn if you don’t? My friend’s impression is that you’re going in circles, seems you sticking to the basic tenets of politicians: every good thing is a bad thing, every bad thing is a good thing.
Generally throughout the Caribbean, long before Covid-19, and the Russia- Ukraine war, consumers pay far too much for electricity. Electricity is not a luxury but a necessity in this era. Therefore, it’s incumbent on government to subsidize this sector and make it affordable for the working poor.
I’m very skeptical that this government earning majority shares in DOMLEC is in the consumers’ best interest. Why do I think so? This present government has a twenty-two year unenviable track record of decimating everything in their control.
The banana industry; the entire agriculture sector; local business fraternity; the middle class; electoral system; the justice system; have all been reduced to rubble by this uncaring, corrupt, amateurish, ruling administration. DOMLEC will be another sure casualty of this failed concoction of thugs, dimwits and megalomaniacs.
So I get it, Labor is not my party but if your party won an election they’d sell this company to a foreign entity again? Track record: For pennies on the dollar?
Is a joke that. The Independent Regulatory Commission is not independent at all. It is financed by government and government now also owns Domlec. So whom are they to advise. Seriously, we could spend our money better than that. Or could it be that Commission is just another body to divert money to the undeserving. Do away with that charade and just lower the electricity prices. Period.
So much pretense going on in this flipping country where nothing is real and every damn thing is under the same umbrella.
The government is urging the independent Regulatory….
Does Dominica have anything that’s independent? How could Skerrit and his so-called government have their hands in everything and yet try to give the impression that the Independent Regulatory nonsense is separated from Skerrit and the government?
Sorry but that’s the problem we have here because regardless of the titles nothing is independent! Not the church, not the police, not the judiciary, not the banks nothing is independent! It’s nothing more than false pretenses going on here.