Tabor asks Government to pass on to consumers any savings realized from operation of LNG Plant

The Gaston Browne Administration is yet to announce what savings
will be passed on to customers of the Antigua Public Utilities
Authority (APUA) when the Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) plant comes
on stream.
 
The Government has acquired two massive tanks for LNG storage,
and these have been installed near the LNG Electricity Plant that
should come into operation in October.
 
Officials say the Plant will provide enough electricity to exceed the
peak use of power by more than 10 megawatts; therefore, it will be
cheaper to operate and will reduce the carbon footprint of Antigua
and Barbuda.
  
With the plant being more cost effective to operate, this ought to
result in savings on electricity for consumers, Tabor says.
 
However, he notes that the Government has not announced how
these savings will be passed on to consumers through a reduction in
electricity rates.
 
Accordingly, Tabor is speculating that the Administration intends to
pocket those savings for itself and leave the people struggling with
high electricity bills.
 
The public relations officer says that, in other Caribbean islands,
even without the installation of new plants, electricity rates went
down. He makes specific mention of Nevis, where that country’s
administration cut the fuel variation charge by over 30 percent.
 
Other countries have helped their citizens to manage high electricity
bills by cutting the Value Added Tax (VAT), as in Barbados. And in
Dominica, the government exempted an additional 50 kilowatt
hours per month in electricity, allowing thousands of households to
get relief.
 
However, Tabor says, in Antigua and Barbuda the Browne
government invested over $50 million in solar energy – free energy
from the sun –and the electricity rates were never reduced.
 
Therefore, he is making an appeal to the Government to pass on any
savings that might come through the new LNG Plant when it
becomes operational next month.