ANGLEC customers will continue to receive a discount on their electricity bills as the government extends its fuel surcharge relief for another month.
The surcharge has remained at a peak of EC$1.05 per kWh throughout September – two and a half times the EC$0.42 rate recorded in March.
It will continue to be capped at $0.42 per kilowatt hour for residents and businesses, and at $0.65 per kWh for the accommodation sector, with the government paying the remainder.
At Anguilla Focus we keep our core content free for everyone – but our members get access to even more! Click here to join from just $4/month.
The power company announced the extension in a press release on 28 September, in which it said the discount will be reflected in bills issued in the first week of October.
“Current forecasts unfortunately indicate that fuel prices may rise further in the coming months, as ongoing global unrest and geopolitical uncertainty continue to place pressure on energy markets,” it said.
“While ANGLEC continues to monitor global fuel market conditions and explore opportunities to offer lower rates, continued volatility in the global fuel market has resulted in increased fuel costs.”
ANGLEC said fuel costs are reviewed regularly in accordance with the Electricity (Rates and Charges) Legislation.
It added that the fuel cost adjustment is made in response to changes in the underlying cost of fuel used for electricity generation.
“These adjustments help to ensure that changes in fuel costs are appropriately reflected while supporting both cost-sharing and cost-management measures,” the company said.
“In the meantime, customers are encouraged to continue practising energy conservation and efficiency measures to help reduce electricity consumption and manage monthly electricity costs.”
The government first announced a package of relief measures on 30 March when geopolitical tensions contributed to rising fuel costs globally.
Fuel import relief – a suspension of import duties, customs service fees and additional charges – was initially set to run for three months, and electricity fuel surcharge assistance for two.
At the time, Premier Cora Richardson Hodge said: “Your government has been actively monitoring the situation and has taken decisive action to cushion the impact on our people and on our economy.”
Fuel surcharge more than doubled from $0.42 to $0.88 per kilowatt-hour on 1 April, then ANGLEC announced a second sharp increase from $0.88 to $1.04 per kilowatt-hour on 29 May.
The relief was extended into a third consecutive month as the power company announced a small reduction of the fuel surcharge to $0.97 per kWh – that would be backdated to 4 June.
In July, the premier announced a second extension of the electricity fuel surcharge assistance into August to be reflected in September bills.
The Anguilla Electricity Company (ANGLEC) is a publicly traded company in which the government controls the majority of the shares.
