ACM publishes maximum tariffs 2019 for electricity and drinking water in Saba
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (hereinafter referred to as ACM) sets new maximum tariffs as of January 1st, 2019 for electricity on Saba. It concerns the maximum fixed usage tariff and the maximum variable usage tariff which the Saba Electric Company (hereinafter referred to as SEC) may charge consumers as of January 1st, 2019 to cover the costs of the production and supply of electricity. ACM also sets the user connection and reconnection charges for 2019.
Pursuant to the BES Electricity and Drinking Water Act (Wet elektriciteit en drinkwater BES) it is ACM's duty to annually set cost-covering tariffs. This means that ACM has calculated what it costs SEC to produce electricity and to supply this to consumers. ACM publishes the tariff decisions on the ACM website.
Tariff changes
The variable usage tariff for electricity in Saba drops from USD 0.3735/kWh to USD 0.3516/kWh. This decrease follows from the fact that solar park 1 was put into service and from the expectation that solar park 2 will also be put into service in 2019. As a result, despite higher fuel prices, the costs per kilowatt-hour will decrease. Without the production from solar energy, the variable usage tariff would have been USD 0.4319/kWh as of January 1st, 2019.
The costs for the fixed usage tariff for electricity remain unchanged. The connection charges (charges for new connections) have only been adjusted for inflation.
The reconnection charge has remained unchanged at USD 40.
To take into account the affordability of electricity for small households in particular, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has made a subsidy available to reduce the fixed consumption rate. As soon as the precise distribution of this subsidy on the tariff categories is known, Saba Electric will inform its customers about the rates that it will charge on January 1st , 2019.