St Vincent Fuel Surcharge Up 45% Since March as Debate Grows Over a Flat Fee
St Vincent fuel surcharge hit about US$0.30 per unit on September bills, 45% above March and more than the base rate. Why a flat fee may not be the answer. The post St Vincent Fuel Surcharge Up 45% Since March as Debate Grows Over a Flat Fee appeared first on The Rio Times .
Since March, the St Vincent fuel surcharge has risen by 45%, according to the state-owned electricity provider VINLEC. As of September, the surcharge amounted to 79.67 Eastern Caribbean cents per kilowatt hour, about US$0.30, which is significantly higher than the base rate for electricity itself. VINLEC passes the fuel costs to customers on a monthly basis.
The surcharge is calculated by dividing the excess fuel cost over a fixed base price by the units sold. In September, this excess cost was EC$11.86m (about US$4.39m). Despite VINLEC claiming to make no profit on the charge, its notices indicate a significant rise from 54.90 cents in March to a peak of 83.20 cents in July. The rate has since eased to 76.70 cents in August and then increased again to the current level. This fuel surcharge has become a major component of household power bills in St Vincent.
Written by urgent.news from The Rio Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
