ENERGY Fiji Ltd CEO Fatiaki Gibson has given his assurance that the process of revising electricity tariffs was done transparently.
Mr Gibson said in Nadi yesterday the methodology used for their submissions to the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission was legislated, and that a review of electricity tariffs was conducted every four years.
“It started from 2019, and there should have been a review in 2023,” Mr Gibson said.
“And FCCC rejected it in February 2024. They asked us to re-submit.
“So, it has taken EFL one full year, from February 2024 to March 2025 to prepare, and to make sure that whatever we propose to FCCC looks after the vulnerable people.
“We are using that methodology that is legislated which is allowable revenue methodology and it’s used internationally by regulators for utilities like EFL.
“It is something that is benchmarked internationally, it’s not something that we came up with overnight.
“And most importantly it is legislated under the Electricity Act of 2017.”
Mr Gibson said the FCCC chief executive officer Senikavika Jiuta was also transparent in her announcement to the media last week on the revised 2025 electricity tariffs.
“So, we are within the law, and we cannot step outside the law,” he said.
“Everything we have done with FCCC overseeing EFL’s submission is within the law.
“And based on that delay in 2023, it took us from April this year up until that announcement was made last week to work with FCCC.
“And they (FCCC) review every detail.
“So, whatever the FCCC CEO mentioned in her announcement, even the subsequent media conferences and press releases that have been done very transparently.
“And it follows the international Electricity Tariffs Mechanism (ETM) and it is under the Electricity Act of 2017.
“I can assure the public and stakeholders that we have operated within the law and everything has been done transparently.”
Revised tariffs prioritise vulnerable Fijians
THE Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (FCCC) independent determination of the revised electricity tariffs was conducted in consideration of Fiji’s vulnerable people, according to Energy Fiji Ltd CEO Fatiaki Gibson.
Mr Gibson and his team was in Nadi, Sigatoka and Ba yesterday to assist FCCC in its awareness programs on the 2025 revised electricity tariffs.
“From EFL’s perspective we have been very cautious right up from the board, and management in terms of this tariff revision,” he said.
“We really need to look after our vulnerable people, communities and in particular the commercial categories, the small and medium enterprises.
“So, if you look at the way it is structured, it looks after the vulnerable category of customers.
“But we are really here on the ground driven by the awareness program planned by FCCC, to come and support them in terms of the application of the determination, and to bring clarity to the way the Bill is being applied to the different customer categories, especially for domestic customers.”
Mr Gibson said the EFL team was present at the awareness programs to provide clarification to consumers.
“Basically, we are here to help in the technical explanation of the impact of the electricity bills to consumers.
“So, that there is a bit of clarity to the consumers to be very clear in how the bill impacts them especially in the domestic customer category “If you come to the booth, we basically tell them that this is currently my bill, for example if it’s $140, the change will be $3.89.
“So, it goes up to $143.89, and this is an example. We approach it this way because it is easier for the customer to understand, because at the end of the day it is how much money that impacts their pockets.
“So, that’s how we are going with the tariff revision that has been determined by FCCC.”
