Government says Mercelina met SOL, MPs on electricity costs
Government said Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina met SOL, MPs and Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs on fuel costs and electricity affordability.
Government of Sint Maarten said Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina convened an informational meeting with Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs, four Members of Parliament and SOL representatives Collin Francis and Robert James to examine fuel supply costs and electricity affordability. The Government said the meeting followed questions put to Mercelina in Parliament and residents’ concerns about electricity bills.
According to the Government, participants included MPs Veronica Jansen-Webster of URSM, Ludi de Weever of PFP, Omar Ottley of UPP and Egbert Doran of NA. They discussed fuel sourcing, transport, storage, pricing benchmarks, supplier margins and deliveries to GEBE.
Read the full story157 more words
The Government said SOL explained its supply arrangements and the difference between gross margin and net profit. SOL said personnel, maintenance, inspections, leases and investments were among expenses paid from its gross margin, according to the Government.
Government said the discussion covered GEBE’s use of heavy fuel oil and diesel, demand forecasts, seasonal demand, new developments and changes in generating capacity. It said SOL described risks to deliveries without a formal supply agreement.
According to the Government, participants raised competitive procurement, more storage capacity, a possible maximum supplier margin and fuel hedging. They also asked SOL to consider contributing to community relief for vulnerable households and seniors.
Mercelina said the Council of Ministers had been informed of the engagement and that coalition and opposition representatives knew about its purpose. Government said the meeting would not interfere with an ongoing supervisory review by the Bureau Telecommunications and Post, and that SOL said it was cooperating with that process.
File photo: Richard Koek, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · cropped, SXM Today mark added
