Hike Electricity – By Kisean Joseph
Hike Electricity Bills This
Electricity consumers in Antigua and Barbuda are facing fresh financial pressure this month as the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) moves to increase its fuel variation charge, pushing household and business bills higher amid rising global fuel costs.
APUA introduced the fuel variation charge in July 2024 as a mechanism to reflect fluctuating fuel costs associated with electricity generation. The charge is adjusted periodically to account for movements in global fuel prices, meaning consumers bear the direct impact of international market shifts.
For the month of May, the authority has announced an increase of seventy cents per kilowatt hour, citing rising fuel costs on the global market. Officials say APUA is absorbing a portion of the increase, though the remainder will be passed on to consumers through their monthly electricity bills.
The announcement has drawn sharp criticism from opposition quarters.
Public Relations Officer of the United Progressive Party Senator Jonathan Wehner, speaking on Observer AM on Friday, said the increase is a direct consequence of the government’s failure over 12 years to meaningfully reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Senator Wehner pointed out that renewable energy has appeared as a commitment in every Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party manifesto since 2014, yet tangible progress remains elusive. He cited the solar installation at Bethesda and the facility at Coolidge Airport as projects that have reportedly never consistently supplied power to the national grid, despite significant public investment, including funds linked to the Citizenship by Investment Programme.
“For 12 years, they have been promising that they would reduce our reliance on fossil fuels,” Senator Wehner said. “We are seeing the consequences of this, and it is very unfortunate.”
He argued that a sustained push toward wind, solar, or other renewable energy sources would have shielded consumers from the kind of global price volatility now driving the May increase. Senator Wehner also noted that the government had at one point offered to subsidise solar panel installations for private homeowners, though he questioned how many residents had actually benefited from the initiative and called for a full accounting of its reach.
The senator further argued that revenue pressures linked to wasteful infrastructure spending — including roads repeatedly resurfaced without proper planning — have contributed to a wide-ranging pattern of cost increases imposed on the public, including rises in the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax, vehicle licensing fees, money transfer levies, and the extension of the sales tax to cover online streaming services.
While the utility company has not yet issued a public response to the criticism, they’d previously maintained that the fuel variation charge is a transparent mechanism designed to fairly distribute the cost of fuel fluctuations rather than absorb losses that could affect the utility’s operational stability.
Consumer advocates and opposition voices have long called for a clear government roadmap on renewable energy transition, arguing that continued reliance on imported fossil fuels leaves the island permanently exposed to external price shocks beyond its control.
Senator Wehner said the UPP would continue to press the government for answers on the status of existing renewable energy investments and demand a clear, publicly accessible plan for reducing the country’s fuel dependence.
