Heyliger-Marten says ending port fee would cut 1,000-kWh bill by Cg 6.20

TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten told Parliament that removing Port St. Maarten’s throughput fee on fuel supplied to GEBE would save a household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours about Cg 6.20 a month, if the full reduction reached customers. She said the fee accounts for 1.3% of GEBE’s monthly fuel spending.

During the continuation of the 2027 national budget debate, Heyliger-Marten said GEBE spends about US$7.5 million a month buying fuel for electricity generation. About US$100,000 of that amount is the port throughput fee, she said. A household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours pays about Cg 477 in fuel-related charges, according to the minister.

Heyliger-Marten said the Bureau Telecommunications and Post is examining fuel pricing and costs passed on to GEBE. She questioned charges and markups in the supply arrangement and said reliance on one fuel supplier limits competition.

The minister said the review could help identify savings and said GEBE could eventually develop its own fuel storage capacity to reduce dependence on a single supplier.