Nevis Premier Mark Brantley is urging residents to conserve electricity and remain patient following the reintroduction of the domestic fuel surcharge, saying the measure was made necessary by global oil price volatility linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The surcharge, which returned in June after being suspended for nearly four years, follows sharp increases in fuel costs triggered by the U.S.-Iran conflict and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) said it had absorbed approximately EC$28.9 million in fuel costs over the past four years to shield consumers from higher electricity bills. However, officials said continued global instability made it financially impossible for the Nevis Electricity Company Limited (NEVLEC) to maintain the subsidy.
Residential customers are now paying a subsidised fuel surcharge of EC$0.69 per kilowatt-hour, below the calculated rate of EC$0.79 per kilowatt-hour, as the government seeks to cushion the impact on households.
Brantley also apologised for an administrative error that resulted in the surcharge appearing on customers’ electricity bills before the public was formally notified.
He stressed that electricity costs remain closely tied to unpredictable developments in the global energy market.
‘NEVLEC and the bills, I can only continue to apologise and to say to our people that we must try our very best to conserve, conserve, conserve,’ Brantley said, noting that renewed tensions involving the United States and Iran continue to create uncertainty over global fuel prices.
He encouraged customers experiencing financial difficulties to communicate with NEVLEC rather than avoid payments.
‘NEVLEC’s position has always been that if you cannot pay in whole, come in and talk to them. NEVLEC is not cutting you off because you only pay some. What NEVLEC is asking is that you have a conversation with them,’ he said.
Brantley acknowledged that the government is also working to meet its financial obligations to the utility, adding that all stakeholders must work together to navigate the current challenges.
While international oil prices have eased somewhat amid diplomatic efforts, officials cautioned that electricity bills will not decline immediately because current fuel inventories were purchased when prices were at their highest.
To reduce the island’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, the government continues to advance its geothermal energy project at Hamilton, which is expected to place Nevis on a path toward 100 per cent renewable energy generation.
In the meantime, NEVLEC is encouraging consumers to reduce electricity use by unplugging electronic devices and chargers when not in use, running full loads of laundry, ironing clothes in batches, and replacing conventional light bulbs with energy-efficient LED lighting.