BVI News

Cost of electricity to increase with new wharfage fee on fuel — BVIEC

BVIEC’s powerplant in Pockwood Pond

Residents are being advised that the cost of electricity is expected to increase effective this month.

The BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) said in a statement on Tuesday that this increase is because of a recent amendment to the BVI Port Authority Regulations.

The amendment, which became law on April 15, provides for a wharfage fee to be charged on petroleum products discharged through a ship’s pipeline direct to the private facility of cargo owners.

The amendment further specifies that this wharfage fee will come at a cost of “$0.10 per gallon”.

In other words, for ever thousand gallons of fuel discharged, there will be a $100 cost for wharfage attached. The BVIEC imports approximately a million gallons of fuel with each shipment.

“Due to the imposition of this new law, all customers’ electricity bills from May 2021, and going forward, will include this increase in the cost of fuel to produce electricity in the ‘Fuel Surcharge’ section of your electricity bills,” the BVIEC stated.

Share the news

Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

46 Comments

Disclaimer: BVI News and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the comments below or other interaction among the users.

  1. Resident says:

    bviec robbing us as usual

    Like 27
    Dislike 1
    • No one says:

      No one has money except the politicians and their cronies and they are filling their pockets at the expense of the people. The COI cannot move fast enough to oust these crooks. The Brits don’t want to rule but this crookedness has to stop.

      Like 26
      Dislike 1
    • Not BVIEC FAULT says:

      The government is who pass the bill not BVIEC The damn government robbing us not BVIEC. If BVIEC have an increase Of course it passes to the consumer…that’s economics 101. Speak to your cabinet members while in the house passing stupid Bills so we the people cant even catch a break.

      Like 12
      Dislike 1
    • Wowza says:

      We get charged $100,000 smackers everytime the boat arrives? How stupid is that ! What font we jus put solar chargers on our roofs? Is that allowed?

      • Rubber Duck says:

        They are called stealth taxes. Little by little they introduce more and more charges so they can continue to buy votes from the bloated civics service.

        Like 4
        Dislike 1
  2. sigh says:

    Thank you government for making our lives harder right after screwing the economy… this is just what we wanted! #BVILOVE 🙂

    Like 51
    Dislike 2
    • Why? says:

      Have we no one in this government who really care for the people. You bow from one blow and they throw another blow from next direction. To add insult to injury they hand out millions just like so. Can’t make this stuff up

  3. Pandora's Box says:

    Am I the only one that is completely fed up of Ports Authority, their bull$hit, and the ‘puppet master’ behind all this?

    Every damn day I am getting more pi$$ed off with the abuse. Stings even more in these tough times!

    Ports boats, ferry fiascos, crony $hit beyond belief, radar barges, increased fees everywhere. The Ports Board rakes in there money while the Ports employees are thrown to the wolves. The *** Lady puppet and her Masters all playing and milking is as we stand by and let it happen!

    Like 42
  4. Bull$hit says:

    This clear as day! Fee increase at the Ports; gas man on the Ports Board and fuel charge kick back granted the same company has the fuel contract. Ayo really think people are idiots! Carry on; water boiling for lobster.

    Like 26
  5. Hodgie says:

    Fahie is the man. Kill dem wid it. Tax them good brother. Local and expats. The local was with you when they tax expats sending home money to care for their family ?. Now the table level out. Locals please don’t complain now. Same knive stick cow ?, stick goat.

    Like 20
    Dislike 9
    • I agree Hodgie says:

      The voters spoke loud and clear. Up and down marching bur black lives matter against police. Tek death from your ‘VIP Government working for you’. Only bawling cause it affects everybody. Set ah jokers.

      Like 4
      Dislike 2
  6. Real says:

    Ayo sickening with this shi now man

    Like 11
  7. Dipper says:

    100,000.00 per fuel delivery? VI party looking out for us.

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  8. Local says:

    Water bill killing us with these new meter now eletricity going up its now poor people going and ketch hell , people buy a solar panel a battery and leave BVIEC government killing us with extra bills.

  9. @ WONDERFUL says:

    JUST DOUBLE UP

  10. Wow says:

    So more fees no raise of pay. Less working hours. Tourism sector not yet up and running fully and more fees for residents. Just wow.

  11. Well says:

    Lord have mercy bills will kill us in this place.

  12. Citizen says:

    WE ARE DEAD FOR SURE.

  13. Well sah says:

    These people won’t be satisfied until they send you to beg yo bread. It’s right around d the corner. Ti.e lo ger than twine

  14. Took back our stimulus money says:

    who in their right mind would think about doing something like that in these hard times, people can barely pay rent.. lord man.. have some heart.. smh well robberies will be on the rise again shortly.. tbc

    Like 10
  15. Poverty on the horizon says:

    Heard this on the radio today, “if the rich don’t share their wealth with us, we will share our poverty with them.” Why are these statutory bodies and government trying to stifle us?

  16. B***s says:

    Convicted criminal sits on all government boards and is making a nice little cut on every deal in the territory..

  17. Wait, WHAT?? says:

    So the BVIEC will be paying $100K in wharfage ALONE when they import fuel? So we kill already struggling families and businesses, while giving out $6 mil. Nobody thinks the VIP needs to leave office NOW NOW NOW??????????????????????????

    Like 11
  18. BET says:

    Bet Mr. Premier will say he had no knowledge of this and that he will look into it. Keep in mind that Electricity is under his portfolio ?

    Like 16
  19. lilian says:

    this is insane!! locals acting like cats!!!

  20. Wharfage says:

    “an accommodation provided at a WHARF for the loading, unloading or storage of goods”

    Since when is a floating pipeline connected to an anchored buoy a ‘wharf”. This new law is re-writing the English language. Time to boycott BVIEC.

    Like 6
    Dislike 2
    • Lol says:

      Boycott bviec and not use electeicity? The problem is bviec having to pay warfage for recieving fuel through a pipeline not at the warf lol

    • Good question says:

      That last question is the same question BVIEC asked after being told of the passing of the increase. Ports and ministers our of all control.

  21. Mr Shovels says:

    So the ports will be collecting wharfage on goods that never even touched the wharf. What a ting…

  22. BVILOVE says:

    Everything increasing in the bvi except minimum wage

    Everytime the VIP government in power the making it hard for the ppl in the bvi

    This is the only Island increasing fee during a pandemic

    Where is humanity

    Where is “BVILOVE” that Andrew Fahie boasting about

    Why is the VIP making it hard to survive in the bvi

    Only the politicians making money or should I say the thieving all tax payers money

    I sick and tired of hearing COI and nothing happening instead the ppl keep suffering more everyday

    VIP need to get vote out now before this Island get more worst and fall to nothing

    Business owners and citizens need to speak out unless the are in this nonsense with Andrew, I know I’m not on his side right now

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  23. Smoke says:

    And now they can disconnect remotely so that means the island going to be in a BLACKOUT

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  24. Oil tanker says:

    Am I the only one who has never seen an oil tanker at the port? Always see it in the waters down Pockwood Pond. So they charge alot for the anchoring too? May be I don’t know better and just trying to make sense of all this

  25. Sunshine says:

    Go solar. There is free electricity in the sky. More news later.

    • Suck salt says:

      Solar is fine if you can afford it. The more customers that leave the grid means it will cost more for those of us that stay on. The BVIEC costs like fuel, staff and other overhead do not decrease. Spreading these cost across less customers….you do the math.

  26. PT9 says:

    I can’t understand why the government is charging BVIEC wharfage fee to be charged on petroleum products discharged through a ship’s pipeline direct to the private facility of cargo owners, this is sad in a time like this.Andrew A. Fahie this is how you show BVI love you are a very sad person, we all know you will say you didn’t know about this.

  27. Reality Check says:

    The Ports Authority Board member needs the extra money to pay her lawyers!!

  28. Facts says:

    If we look at history you will see that since 2003 the NDP has always had to clean up the VIP messes and the people still voted them in office 2019. It seems that we are in love with the abusive relationship.

  29. Truth Be Told says:

    Cost of living increase, Electricity increase, Legislators salary increase….but public servants last raise was so long we can’t remember…and increments stop. Because it’s either our salary or ìncrement. We have to work 25 years and we ain’t going get no 2 years full salary when we leave office. All you VIP people votes why we have to suffer your punishment. You put them in you punish by yourself. VIP Government the Good God of the universe going deal with you all. Wickedness. GIVE PUBLIC SERVANTS THEIR SALARY RAISE AND THEM INCREMENTS. it was a out rage by the Premier when we ask for increments but he quick to pass bill when it relates to his own pocket getting fat. Hmmmmmm.

  30. Anonymous says:

    This rate hike for electricity is compounding suffering on top of suffering.

    Where is concern for the people? They have seen their electric bills go up some 500% over the last few years.

    When will enough be enough?

  31. itstime says:

    @Hodgie, YOU ARE STUPID.

  32. Captain Flint says:

    What about the cost of things in [supermarket]. I picked a bag of organic gala apples today which have in the past cost me $9.29 (which is a $1 an apple). Today they were $17.89 ($1.80 an apple). When I queried the price its because they are organic. This is not the only item to increase a lot. Toiletries, baby wipes, tea bags, fruit and meat and chicken. Everything has been increased. They will blame covid and shortages but some of these things are from the USA. Its crazy that I can order items from USA and have them shipped in and pay the costs and the duty and they will be cheaper than [their] prices.

  33. question says:

    Is the BVI Electricity a private company? and do not
    they get exemption from wharfage and taxes?
    Why the Government is fooling the people the more you steal the less you going to count.

Leave a Comment