By S.Browne. Updated 8:50 p.m., Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday has urged the St. Vincent Electricity Services Limited (VINLEC) to show greater flexibility toward customers struggling to pay electricity bills as households continue to grapple with high fuel surcharges.
Dr Friday made the comments during an interview on NBC Radio on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, where he addressed concerns about rising electricity costs and the measures being taken by the government and VINLEC to cushion the impact on consumers.
While acknowledging that consumers have a responsibility to pay their electricity bills, the Prime Minister said the current economic circumstances require a more understanding approach.
“VINLEC would also have to understand that they can’t rush and cut off people in the same time frames that they used to be in the past. We have to all have some more grace and simply say we are trying to work our way through this crisis.”
Friday said the government recognised early the pressure rising energy costs would place on households and businesses, and in May introduced measures aimed at reducing the impact of higher fuel prices.
He said the government removed the excise tax on diesel imported by VINLEC and also held discussions with the utility about sharing some of the increased costs rather than passing the full amount on to consumers.
“When we first announced the measures that the government would take back in May, we had a conversation with VINLEC. We said that you cannot just operate as though you are in a different reality. You have to also bear some of the costs.”
According to the Prime Minister, VINLEC absorbed more than EC$730,000 in fuel costs during July that would otherwise have been passed on to consumers.
“As it is now, the surcharge is too high, but it is still lower than it could have been because of the measures that we have instituted and the measures that VINLEC took.”
Friday said the government had initially introduced the measures for a three-month period, hoping that international oil prices would ease as tensions affecting global fuel supplies subsided.
However, he said that has not happened, with international conditions instead continuing to place pressure on fuel prices.
The Prime Minister maintained that while higher electricity costs are affecting households directly, they are also placing pressure on businesses and the wider economy.
He added that the government will continue exploring longer-term solutions, including reducing the country’s dependence on imported fuel through renewable energy and more sustainable energy systems.
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