For over a decade, consumers in St. Kitts have been complaining about the poor state of affairs when it comes to the management and supply of electricity. Scores of homeowners have expressed disappointment that they have not received compensation for the destruction of appliances caused by the untimely and frequent outages that have occurred.
The government had promised that affected consumers should present the damaged and destroyed appliances to allow for compensation but this pledge was never honoured.
Added to that bad experience, consumers have seen massive increases in the rates charged monthly, causing hardships not only for households but the corporate sector as well, with some companies being so affected that they have been forced to either reduce staff levels or place a freeze on hiring. Electricity for many businesses has become one of the most destructive monthly expenses that continue to make it extremely challenging to survive in severe economic times.
As part of an effort to improve the situation, the government last year established a new statutory corporation called the St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited, SKELEC, but the problems of outages have continued, though not as frequent. One issue that remains however is the high cost to consumers.
SKELEC says however that its aim is to always keep to its motto of Reliability with Responsibility.
Therefore, to give the SKELEC an opportunity to share its side of the story and sensitize the corporate sector about its work plan for the future, CEO, Mr. William Brookes has been invited to address the membership of the local Chamber.
Brookes is expected to cover the topics:-
- (i) The ongoing plans for expansion and improvement of the system,
- (ii) The company’s policies, plans and recommendations regarding the use of alternative energy systems to reduce consumer costs.
The luncheon meeting will be hosted at the Ocean Terrace Inn from 12 Noon on Wednesday.
Meantime, SKELEC has issued a notice to consumers and the public generally that on Friday 11th May it will be closing its doors at 12:00 pm, to the public, for a staff meeting and the official launch of the new Company logo. The Public is asked to please take note of this closure, but can still make transactions at Scotia or National Bank branches or at their on-line portals.
While apologizing for the closure, SKELEC said it was necessary as part of their overall improvements. The offices will reopen on Monday 14th May for regular business from 8:00 am.