MOST of the business houses have actually rejected the proposed increment on the 2025 electricity tariff, says Nadi Chamber of Commerce & Industry president Lawrence Kumar.
In an interview in Nadi on Wednesday, he claimed there had not been any proper consultations done with businesses.
“This has actually landed upon us without prior consultations,” Mr Kumar said.
“In layman’s term, I would say we put the cart before the horse.
“Where consultations should have been done properly.
“The stakeholders should have been advised on how this new tariff has been put in place and on what percentage is has been worked out.
“Right now, they have actually just pulled it out from thin air and put on paper and say here we go- we’ve got a new tariff increased upon us.”
Meanwhile, Fijian Competition & Consumer Commission chief executive officer Senikavika Jiuta said they would be having a meeting with stakeholders, including FCEF and the Nadi Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
FCCC to meet stakeholders
THE Fijian Competition & Consumer Commission will be having meetings with stakeholders on the revised 2025 Electricity Tariff.
FCCC chief executive officer Senikavika Jiuta told the media in Nadi yesterday that they would be meeting the Fiji Commerce & Employers Federation including the Nadi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (NCCI).
“We are having a consultation with FCEF and all their members so if the Nadi Chamber of Commerce want us to come and have a meeting, we will come down to meet with the 200 members,” Ms Jiuta said.
“Because we did reach out to the NCCI president in writing and have not received a response.”
Ms Jiuta said they would meet FCEF members next week, but the date had yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, NCCI president Lawrence Kumar said most businesses in Nadi had expressed their dissatisfaction on the proposed 2025 Electricity Tariff increment.
“They have outright rejected this proposed tariff increase,” Mr Kumar said.
“All we are trying to say is this current tariff increment needs to be postponed for a good period of time.
“It needs to be given sufficient time and sufficient consultation on it, and sufficient data needs to be presented back to the people in order for the people and business houses to understand.
“And also, for the general public to understand.
“Why is this increase actually necessary and based on what this increase has been worked out on because we do not have a data right now to sort of ascertain this increment is actually needed.”
He said that he had attended a public consultation by Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) in 2023.
” I still recall the stakeholder consultation done back then, EFL have actually presented a whole data, their plan for the next 10 years.
“What project they have gone online, and they have proposed for an increase, and it was sort of relooked by FCCC.
“Now those sorts of data if it does get presented to the public and get presented to the people. Apparently, we do not have any data.”
