The cost of energy in Dominica will be increased in the 2014-2015 budget and that means government’s electricity bill will be going up.
Speaking at a press conference at a geothermal production well in Laudat on Monday Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, said that the energy cost increase is the result of the high cost of fuel.
“In this year’s budget coming up as the Minister of Finance I have had to increase the energy cost,” he said. “The monies we budget every year for electricity will be increased in this year’s budget because the price of the petroleum products have gone up and therefore our light bills will go up.”
The Prime Minister argued that if the government can reduce its electricity bill, more money which can be used to improve other sectors.
“Based on what the experts are saying, if we are able to successfully take advantage of this (geothermal) resource, it would mean that every single Dominican will have more money in his pocket because they would have to pay less to the electricity company and the cost of doing business would decrease,” he said. “If the government can reduce whatever percentage of its light bill it means therefore the money the government will have to continue to improve our health care system, to continue to improve our roads, to continue investing in education, to invest more in agriculture and tourism to create more substantial jobs in the country.”
He indicated further that Dominica has gained tremendous regional and international attention because of its geothermal efforts.
“We have to guard ourselves against those who come here pretending to have our best interest at heart,” Skerrit said. “Geothermal is in fact a good thing for Dominica and the Valley. Some people have genuine concerned but there are some people in this country who are prepared to sell even themselves for some political support.”
You know its funny, not making any accusations here but what about all the profit domlec has been generating from the poor people of dominica every year? we say we wont pay high bills but people need power, people need to iron their children’s clothes to send them to school. It saddens me to see after so much hope has been put into the geothermal energy research our light bills will still be about $300 a month which is outrageous. what about all d tax payers? nobody knows the people’s struggles. What about people who stuck under house rent barely paying all $600-$800 a month
It saddens me how foolish and narrow minded our ppl have become. To where the hate of one man allows us to lose so much of our intelligence at once.it is ok to dislike the pm that is a personal decision but before doing that take a look at what is going on internationally or regionally. Grab a book, read, look at global news.THE WORLD is in crisis. It’s upsetting. That the belief is there that a change of government will bring money trees and miraculously lower utilities. The hustle continues.think my ppl think.
To quote the article “The Prime Minister argued that if the government can reduce its electricity bill, more money which can be used to improve other sectors.” lol:
Prime Minister you and your Government have been so short sighted over the last fourteen years its not at all funny! no wonder Government electricity bill is going up. You had the opportunity to install at The recently built State College (which by the way looks like a tourist ship on a hill at night) solar panels and also wind energy but guess what you and your government did not. Another example is the recently built State Palace – not one solar panel yet still these two institutions were built by a country that is leading in that technology- yes China; China your good friends is the leading country in the production of solar engineering and technology but your Government did not see it fit to negotiation solar engineering for these new buildings; much less to the opportunity to set up faculty at the State College that would twin with the Chinese R&D Institutions in solar energy to have a transfer of knowledge and technollogy to the college. We would most likely by now be the leading producers of that technology in the region. It would also have afforded us the opportunity at retroffitting other government buildings and other institutions overtime with reneweable energy in the likes of solar. That would be a strategy mister PM that would see a drastic reduction in gov’t light bill over time while empowering our people. You see Barbados , St.Kitts; St. Thomas; St.Lucian; Grenada governments are all making big strides towards solar energy, retroffitting public buildings so as to reduce consumption. But remember according to you Dominica is doing much better than all the other islands so probably you are of the opinion we do not really need cheaper energy since we may be able to afford it man because our economy good! And all them blind mice that supporting you accoding to Sporrow – bawling murder – but all they saying is we know but we like it so!
Some people do not hearing and reading the truth but the truth must be told.
The well wishers , u all need to stop talking cause dominicans love their pm. It doesn’t matter what all u say , those people like their pm. Don’t waste all u words. Electric go up, they don’t care, they pretending they not suffering, but time will tell.They like it, they like it.,,,,,they like it…,,.
when the rain fall it dont fall on man house
Oh, it fall on woman house only then?
RESOLUTION TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA (GOCD) REQUESTING THAT THEY DO NOT INCREASE ELECTRICITY DURING THE 2014 – 2015 FINANCIAL YEAR BUT INSTEAD SUBSIDIZE THE COST OF ELECTRICITY THUS EASING THE BURDEN OF THE BACKS OF THE PEOPLE…
Whereas the GOCD has successfully tested its first geothermal production well at Laudat in the Parish of St George
And whereas, this single well has a preliminary production capacity of over 10 megawatts of electricity potential
And whereas the international expert partners assisting the GOCD with the geothermal exploration predict that the geothermal resource has tremendous potential including export capacity to the neighbouring French departments of Guadeloupe and Martinique
And whereas the cost of fuel is going up and the Honourable Prime Minister and Minister for Finance has publicly stated that cost of electricity will go up during the 2014 to 2015 financial year, an added cost which will be passed on to the backs of the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica, and which will be an added burden they can ill afford at this time, and particularly during an election year.
And whereas the GOCD lead by the Dominica Labour Party would be seen by some of its supporters, marginal and undecided voters and the Opposition as being inconsiderate by increasing the cost of electricity on the backs of an already burdened people forcing them to have less disposable income in their pockets to feed their families and take care of some of their daily needs
And whereas the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica will see this as an opportunity to allow DOMLEC to continue to fatten its pockets even further on the heels of recently announcing well over $8 million dollars in profit.
BE IT RESOLVED that the GOCD absorb the cost of the increase of fuel thus not passing on the increase of the fuel on the backs of the people and therefore easing the burden on the backs of an already over taxed and under paid population.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that such absorption of the cost of electricity by the GOCD be undertaken in light of the successful exploration of Dominica’s geothermal potential and the soon to be introduced geothermal electrical energy which will replace by 100 percent the importation of fuel to generate of electrical energy needs
Submitted on behalf of the people of Dominica by William Mc Lawrence of Portsmouth
Leave skerrit alone, the damage already done. D/CA is destroyed and everyone who can flee is fleeing. If you all really wanted to save Dominica allu would have voted them out last time. Just let the man finish scrape the pot and go scotch free.
There is no cheaper light bill now or in the future. This is the same ploy at election time with Hydro and Petro Caribe and some fall for it over and over again. This is just to stop the protest nothing more. The Skerrit real slogan is Fooling them is good all the time and all the time fooling them is good because they still vote for us no matter what.
Our Bird island has oil
Domlec boasting of millions of profit made and electricity raising up well de government is really working pm u make RIGHT squeeze our Boyoo cause we are Dummies in a Can
God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Woy, woy, woy, something’s happening, and it’s so exciting. The next level is to call the undertaker. Wat is already dead and I don’t know who is the new grave digger. Are the Haitians still digging graves? Apparently this administration (or the PM) wants to take on the job to bury Dominicans alive.
Alas! Alas! Alas! I am sorry for me and my children and the others to come. Should I be sorry for others who were responsible for allowing this administration back in office when we (or should I say, they) experienced what no other administration had done to Dominicans and Dominica? Is the PM for real? Isn’t he tired of making a fool of himself? Maybe not of himself, maybe of Dominicans.
Can the PM state how much it costs to light the President’s Residence at nights, and what will be the return on investment for the 27 million spent? Was this economic progress or regress?
So when Austrie was screaming all the time that Petro Caribe will bring price of electricity down he was fooling the PM and Cabinet Colleagues too? Now is the PM turn, who he fooling now? Is bebel they playing man.
SCARE TACTIC —-To push the Geothermal……..He will turn and say light will be cheaper once the Geothermal is up ..same way gas was suppose to be cheaper with the introduction of Petro Caribe and goods suppose to be cheaper when the reduced the port men salaries and many years ago when lights had to be cheaper when they did the hydro project ….Continue fooling us
Mr. Skerrit you cannot be serious your government and domlec making millions of profit on the poor people of this country on high electricity bills you still intend to increase light bills come this financial year, what about the concessions from petro carib that was to be passed on to the people. One day you skerrit , reggie and the others will pay for the wickedness that you are doing to the people of this country time will tell
The suppoerters of the govt not saying nothing ?
After election, the rain will be falling on EVERY ONE OF US HOUSE. So get up and talk and VOTE THEM OUT. YO CA TARWVAY POUR COYOU. (THEY WORKING FOR THEMSELVES). Afterall things so tight in d country, DOMLEC just made a huge profit and skerrit saying electricity have to increase.
Thank you PM, Labour is truly working, our bills are going up, things are getting harder, but we still want five more years ? Dominicans time to get that party out, Skerrit is smiling with us on one hand and walking on us on another. That man is not good.
Wishful thinking. Do you think under a new government the cost of living, goods and service will not increase? The years are not receding. They are progressing. Cease living in a fool’s paradise.
Ask China to buy Domlec for us, or at least half the cost. It will ‘Generate’ (pun intended) money in due time. But you won’t listen to me, will you? Solar panels on top of Gov’t buildings anyone? A no-brainer, so stop crying and paying Domlec’s way to the sky.
That is sterile move to put Dominica to the next level.the boohoe doe care how much money he waste but all his mind on is to put Dominica to the next level. I doe no what level he talking about and the economy of Dominica is not at the next level.how skerite build a 27 million dollar state house in a small country so with such a bad economy? People that money could do something else.the 54 million dollars he put into the geothermal exploration(exploration wi? Papa met and the man cannot provide employment for young people .The man cannot increase poor people salary he cannot take out on custom duty. The man only focus on making money for him an his family. So u mean to tell me Dominican so wicked they not seeing that Mr wasting so much money on things that not producing any employment for people? Way papa. How much people the 27 million dollar state house employed.
Dominicans allu mean to tell me allu still voting for that garbage come on man how long not long change is a must not an option
No one likes to pay higher costs. A government may promise decreased costs or none at all but in the long run may not be able to fulfill this promise. It is a worldwide situation. Other costs increase as the cost of fuel and therefore the cost of electricity will increase. We can say it is a way of life. After we vent our disappointment and frustration, we have no alternative but to pay the increase. We must be frugal in electricity usage.
It appears u are happy.
Just Simply remove Vat on Electricity and Water to ease up the pressure on consumers
With all those wasteful exterior lights at the State House and the State College, Governments electricity bill must go up.
Domlec will not let us save on electric bills, how will they make profits?? Your best bet is to engage the Chinese in purchasing the company, hostile takeover or whatever means possible. Period!
What is amazing and totally irresponsible was the arrangemnt to guarantee profit to an outside external company .
When the matter came up for sale of the corporatin social secuirty purchased minority shares ..why did the banking institutions AID AND NATIONAL BANKS owned by governmnt not purchase the rest of the shares ?
why did Government not purchase or facilitate and invite professsionals in a management or consultancy contract ?
Is it not Dominican engineers and professionals who are the resource people of the electric corporation? whilst GUARANTEED profits IN THE MILLIONS go to BARBADOS or wherever the owners are !
Are there not conflicts on the rights of distribution of power to households and business forbidding private sourcing of power ?
how does the energy from geothermal be sold outside of the legal mandate of the exisitng electric corporation ?
Are not the chinese –freinds of this administration- the experts in solar energy .. why did the state house not have grids for solar and or the grounds to avert the high cost of electricity ?.. why does this government whilst awaiting geothermal immediately get solar panel grids from their freinds -the chinese to be placed on all public buildings ?
including schools health centres ,POLICE STATIONS government offices?
Why are consumers made to pay TO PROFIT DOMLEC and can only access electricity through permission by legislation of Domlec- a foreign owned and minority owned by social security ?
What of wind power and mini hydro where the environment is conducive ?
What of solar grids in the AIRPORT GROUNDS AS IS THE CASE IN ST THOMAS ..?
What plans does government have to acquire majority shares of DOMLEC in preparation for geothermal energy or change the legisilative blackmail of consumers which benefits only the owners of DOMLEC ?
Historian, let history record that Domlec is not entirely foreign owned. The Dominican public and the Govt. (thru. Social Security) own 48%.
while this is true, they own noncumulative preferred shares so they barely receive any of the profits
way away way , look tricks, OH MY GOD
they are raising electricity now ,because the geotermol people told them that the price of geo electricity will not be lower ,so if they raise electricity now ,by the time geo will be in operation then they will lower back the price to what it is now, and the people will jump huray,and say ,GOD is good,
People ,this man is decietful,he is a phycologist, he is not to be trsted,
but thank God,for
NOT ALL DONKEYS <ARE ASSES
Very well perceived. Excellent analysis.
So Sad, with all the water that is flowing through this island electricity should be on of the cheapest bills islanders should worry about. People should start investing in solar systems as a source of electricity
Somehow I see this increase being engineered to make a stronger case for geothermal energy.
Mind you, I am in favor of the project, but I just think that Skerrit will put the squeeze on the people in the form of higher electricity rates to justify his headlong plunge into geothermal energy.
Then he comes out smelling like roses. Bad policy, but good political move.
These people continue to take us down down and we are so blind, we love them that we are too blind to see beyond our nose. Heaven help us. Sadly they are all rich ministers and we the electorate are soooo dam poor.
From Hydro to Geothermal all what was promised to the people of lower electricity cost seems to have gone through the window. here is a possible solution to the planners or policy makers in Dominica, currently in Haiti a new Hospital was built with 1,200 solar panels Dominica might want to look at that method of generating electricity, if it works for Haiti it can work for Dominica
Does Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit knows his history, or does Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit believes we are all blind people in Dominica if yes Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit, should ask the President of Dominica, to give him some details of his general strike during the rain of Mr. Patrick Roland John’s Labor Party administration, in Dominica. Now Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit has received information from God advising him to segregated by technically telling Dominicans that the Roman Catholic church is the only true religious institution on earth so he should donate $ 500.000.00 to the Catholic church so that he will win the 2015 General Elections. Well nowadays God speaks to everyone including me and he told me, Dominicans should not vote for Mr. Roosevelt Skerrit this time.
The PM never stated that. Name the instance, year, date and time that he said to anyone what you stated. All you people tell are a lot of lies against the PM. As God is taking note of your words which come from your heart, you will pay for it.
Since you mentioned it, YES! The Catholic is the One and Only True Church, established by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are or were a practicing Catholic you should know that. After all, it is existing since 2000 years ago and will continue to exist as God ordained until the end of time. It will be the only Church which will exist until then. All others that man established, “their own church” will eventually be defunct.
On the night before He was betrayed and died, He prayed in the Garden that all might be one.
If you are enlightened and a smart one, you should know that Our Lord Jesus Christ, our God of Love and Peace would never leave us with a mess and thousands of different religions, all divided and caused disunity. Refer to Holy Scriptures.
Our Lord said, “My peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you.” What happened to that peace down through the ages? The amount of different religions in the world, those who came after the Catholic Church can never produce peace. God did not give them the mandate to open their own churches. Therefore, they are incapable of establishing peace on earth. There are too many of them and too many divisions. These have caused divisions and disunity.
Only today I had a conversation with someone and we agreed, if the other religions are true ones, why do they not get together and unite? They are always bashing the Catholic Church. Why? What has the Catholic Church done to you people? They are the ones deserving of being bashed. This is food for thought.
Pray to God for enlightenment. However, as I always say, the day will come when the truth will be revealed to all you Catholic enemies and bashers. Some may very well live to regret their words and realize how foolish they were. The time is approaching.
The new hospital in Mirebalais has 1,800 rooftop solar panels.
Skerro good move,keeep on fooling the poor people of dominica.
If you would look at news you would see that the top oil producing countries in the world are in turmoil with their sectarian cleansing, if America is expecting their prices to increase, who are we to predict otherwise. Even in Venezuela, there is constant rioting etc.
Let us all pray that geothermal is successful, otherwise it is time to budget and consume more wisely.
53 million worth of turbines could have been erected long ago and we would reap its success long ago… mining for steam is as dangerous as it gets
I agree with you. As for the one who responded to your comments, the Ontario government tried to install turbines and the people were “dead set” against it. The turbines also make a lot of noise. They are not practical.
I would think the other preference would be the solar system. It sounds more feasible.
so every thing going up and salaries is jus NOT going up
people is not Dominica alone. Its happening all over the world. its like a domino effect.
This man’s reasoning is so poor he doesn’t even know it.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/pure-genius/geothermal-energy-too-dangerous/ OPEN YOUR EYES DOMINICANS
government does buy fuel ?
i thought is domlec that buys from either petro caribe or texaco well now known as rubis ?
so how government going raise the cost of electricity ?
that sounding fishy….. juss saying
Government have to pay Venezuela for the fuel shipped to Dominica through their own company Dominica National Petroleum Co. Well, I understand that is the arrangement anyway. But the cost of the diesel when it arrives here is much lower than Domlec have to pay. What happen to all that profit?
“We have to guard ourselves against those who come here pretending to have our best interest at heart, … but there are some people in this country who are prepared to sell even themselves for some political support.”
Good self assessment, Mr. PM
keep self-destructing yourself
It’ll get higher until the geothermal plant(s) is(are) up and running. Then when the government realizes how EXPENSIVE it is to run and maintain said plants, Dominica will be back to square one…ever-increasing energy bills.
“Based on what the experts are saying, if we are able to successfully take advantage of this (geothermal) resource, it would mean that every single Dominican will have more money in his pocket because they would have to pay less to the electricity company and the cost of doing business would decrease. BUT IN AND BETWEEN TIME PAY MORE FOR ALL YOU DAM ELECTRICITY….LOL Take that Dominicans all you accustom to take crap anyways so raise your red flags to this announcement too.
well his statements are really confusing. not long ago it was reported that them new peoples running domlec promised that cost of electricity would be reduced but now hes saying that govmnt bills will be going up. if govmnt bills will be going up it means that all other customers bill will be going up too. man u promised that geothermal energy will reduce cost of electricity, so how comes bills will be going up? u know i listend to u at the function n man U REALLY DONT KNOW WHAT U ARE TALKING ABOUT. HERE IS A LITTLE ADVICE. next time u at a function, BRING A COPY OF YUH LAST SPEECH U MADE AT YUH LAST FUNCTION SO THAT U WILL KNOW HOW to keep yuh words in line. LINTON WOULD USE HIS HEAD BETTER THAN U TO APPLY political tricks. you are not good at that.
when electricity cost go up… they switch to geothermal…. the cost go down… the DLP seem like a savior to the people…. good political move
My ONE genuine concern has to do with the Tracer studies that were carried out on the re-injection wells. I have searched and still continue to read the 505 page Phase 2: Environmental Survey and Impact Assessment of Geothermal Wells Drilling in the Roseau Valley, and have found nothing which addresses the issue of Tracer studies and re-injection wells. It is of genuine concern.
Well we finish! Look with pity upon us Lord.
The Lord wants you to be respectful, obedient, positive and full of confidence. Your negativity is not helping you or anyone else. The Lord cannot help you if you have such an adverse character. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
I thought Petro Caribe was supposed to make electricity cheaper but instead it made certain people richer.
You sound surprised! I did not expect anything else of that lot. Never ever do they have the interest of Dominica or it’s citizens at heart. ONLY THE OWN POCKET!
your technique is a good one. . i wont fall for it ..no one want their electricity bill to increase so they will always allow you to continue this dangerous geothermal project .. but they don’t realize if something goes wrong with this project ,[ any mistake could cost billions] . remember if they spend allot of money making mistakes[ causing damage ] then they will eventually charge you at a higher rate for geo electricity if it succeeds. if it don’t get completed after, wasting so much money , then all of us will have a big price to pay .. one way or the other we are gonna suffer for his continuous plans on this country
Way Way Way…….The increase in governments electricity bill is because they have too many lighs on at the state Malice…send sevrin back at his home so his wife will go back to cleaning her cobwebs on her own…they did not realise the lights under the canefield cliff needed to be sola lights? all them school and hospitals should be given sola panels and while fixing the melvillehall airport they should have invested in solar panels for there as well….the half a billion spent on the “Geo-firma” according to Mr. Magloire could have covered all these panels and more…….Mr. Prime Minister due respect to you Sir…but is either your advisors are idiots or you have a hearing and mental calculative defficiency. This much is true someting Wong wit you.
LMFAOO!!! I like that!! GOOD answer! That sweeten me self!
What about the consumers? They are aware how much electricity they use.
One way of using less electricity is to purchase a hurricane lamp or some sort of lamp to use when it gets dark. Go to bed early; less TV viewing and playing the stereo, etc. It is said that computers use a lot of electricity. All what is used with electricity will increase consumers’ usage and costs. The advice is to conserve energy and they will pay less. You must try to beat the system legally.
Alas Dominicans , we have been taken to the cleaners. When petro caribe came ,we expected lower electricity bills because that’s what they promised. To date this has not been the case.
Government is not wanting to increase the salaries of public servants, social security increasing, food cost increasing. Everything’s going up according to the Jamaican artiste who sang it some years ago, to the gulf crisis. Only this time it isn’t the gulf responsible.
However shall we survive. We are all basically indigent. I am saddened. There is no such thing as cutting us some slack on this rock.
teachers can not get a rise, policemen can not get a rise but electricity get a rise. What was all that talk about Petro-Caribe for us to get lower electricity bills?. Is only Reggie benefitting with directorships??
Well said ” Anonymous and Cops @ Robers.” When the Government, Yes LABOR, said they were going to construct a plant at Jimmit, Petro Caribe it was ALL ABOUT BRINGING OUR ELECTRICITY BILL DOWN. What happened those fellas got richer, so rich that they are now on their third house. Stop fooling the citizens, but one thing I will say is ” you can fool the people some time but you cannot fool them all the time.” Your time is near sir and it is time we get good governance in this country. How can we believe that this geothermal project will bring relive when it is already said that the dipper one drills is the more expensive it becomes. Have Dominicans understood that the reason for minimal earth tremors we experience on the surface is because it comes from a much dipper section in Dominica that other caribbean country who experience similar tremors? Dominicans do not be fooled by what is said, mismanagement is just what that brings our country where it is today. The Government, under Chavez, got a real good deal where we would pay 50% of petroleum products used upfront and the remaining 50% would be paid over an extended period. Instead this Government used this opportunity to lower the price of Diesel to both Domlec and Citizens at the pump and hence paying less for electricity they used this money playing politics. What a waste and know they come with a new trick? Change is here… I can feel it!
a raise
Mr. PM we need to be proactive and start thinking smart. If you put solar pannels on the financial centre and ministry buildings you will reduce the cost of electricity significantly. Also if you put in place the necessary legislation for power purchase agrement you will see savings and more persons will go to renewable and reduce the amount of currency leaving the country. Think smart.
yea?