MMF CALLS ON S.I.E.A TO REVIEW ITS ELECTRICITY TARIFFS
Mr. Dausabea called on SIEA to review its tariff. Photo credit: SIBC.
Pressure group, the Malaita Ma’asina Forum, MMF, has called on the Solomon Islands Electricity Authority, SIEA, to review its tariff, claiming that Solomon Islands is the highest in electricity tariffs in the world.
Speaking in a media conference, MMF President Charles Dausabea says compared to other neighbouring countries in the region, Solomon Islands is the highest in electricity tariff charges, charging at 88-99 US cents per Kilowatt.
Mr Dausabea says, the authority’s answers to his queries about the rising price of electricity only calls for more explanation.
“The reasons they told me was that first, they said the cost of fuel is expensive, well fuel is expensive but when I look at the cents per Kilowatt it doesn’t make sense. Their second reason was that the maintenance of their generators is expensive, but so are generators, everything is expensive but when you look at these countries, they are running much bigger generators than us, but why are there cheaper tariff charges? Another reason was that they will review the tariff this year. Ever since cash power was introduced, I am a first cash power customer, the cash power tariff was never ever reviewed.”
Mr Dausabea calls on SIEA to explain why it has decided to increase the electricity tariff when people cannot even afford what it is currently charging.
He says the high cost of electricity has forced many people to defy SIEA connection regulations through illegal connections.