Premier admits businesses will pass power bill increase to consumers
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has acknowledged that businesses affected by the latest electricity tariff increase are likely to pass the additional cost on to consumers.
Dr Wheatley made the admission during a House of Assembly debate on amendments to electricity tariffs and charges. The changes affect customers who consume more than 1,500 kilowatt-hours per month.
“The businesses we’re speaking about now, ‘yes, we will see an increase’. And the members of the opposition are correct when they say that if the businesses see an increase, they are going to pass it on to the consumers. I cannot discount that,” Dr Wheatley stated.
The Premier said the affected businesses should consider investing in renewable energy, pointing to the rooftop solar system installed by RiteWay Food Markets as an example.
“But what the businesses need to do is what RiteWay did. That is what they need to do,” Dr Wheatley stated.
He told lawmakers that customers using between 61 and 25,000 kilowatt-hours previously paid 22 cents per kilowatt-hour, while those using between 25,000 and 100,000 paid 19 cents. Customers consuming more than 100,000 kilowatt-hours paid 16 cents.
Dr Wheatley said the BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) spends between 22 and 23 cents to generate a kilowatt-hour and therefore loses money when customers pay less than the production cost.
“So going up to the 24 cents is necessary for them to produce it at a net gain,” the Premier stated.
He said 919 of BVIEC’s 17,068 customers would be directly affected by the change. The remaining customers fall below the 1,500-kilowatt-hour threshold.
The tariff change follows a temporary subsidy introduced earlier this year amid rising global fuel prices. In April, the government announced that it would provide BVIEC customers with $1 million per month for three months. The intervention followed warnings that electricity bills could rise by as much as 50 per cent without government assistance.
Dr Wheatley said businesses could reduce their dependence on electricity supplied through the grid by installing solar panels under BVIEC’s grid-tie arrangement.
“I truly believe the more that we invest in solar energy, the easier our life will become. And certainly we won’t have to deal with the fluctuation of oil prices,” Dr Wheatley stated.
The House subsequently approved the resolution amending the electricity tariffs.
Copyright 2026 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
After how many years in office, NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT!!
VOTE THEM ALL OUT AND ASK THEM TO REFUND THE GREEDY BILL MONEY
I agree 1010%,we the people have NOT seen any tangable improvements in the country for monies being dished out here, there and every where.
Put back ALl our money and let’s move OUR country ahead!! Shame!!
Our master , is saying )> that should not be any surprise there / the businesses cannot take all the weight , so the consumers got to bear some of the weight / so wah yo crying fah ? Just pay the damn bilz and hush / who ded – dead .
we can do better than this guy
Imagine as the Premier you are ok with this… Your so called help during May June and July saw every citizens Lights go up by at least 100%.. The help did not do anything but robbed citizens.. Imagine using the same amount of electricity for it to reach double .. Groceries are already high, whatever reduced taxes you gave they never implemented for customers to benefit, they kept all the profit. Riteway moved to solar and still they robbing citizens.. What are you doing to help citizens?? How are ppl going to survive
Basic capitalist economics, however the water is for all residents and many have not been getting service. Socialist approach is guarantee service and warranty to all residents, who pay the government already in taxes and charge reasonable rate for use. This should not be a money making venture, to bleed more coin from residents. The target should be recoup operational expense and maintain infrastructure for utility. If we just budget weekly maintance it will be cheaper than doing capital projects every few years.
Seems like all this regime do is lose money, party and raise cost of living.
You admitting this and still going along with it. Are you playing doll house and politically playing with people’s minds and Lives? makes you wanna Holler.
Tell this individual to go and find all the money he lost and pay back all the money he wasted on garbage parties of which he till today CANNOT say what the benefit was to the people. Look at your INDIGENOUS genius at work! Oh wow! Congratulations. Stop voting without a brain cell.
Just resign, we’ll do better without you
Remind me, when is the next election…??
With the slavery mindset passed on from our ancestors some house negroes might need alittle blow as well to straighten them out.
If you are aware that this will happen, then why move forward with it.
It is not wrong to say after much debate and public outcry you and yoir government hade decided tp pull back the merger or fond a next alyernative
It is better to do instead of losing your didtrict 7 seat and the majority of your cabinet party members
Why are we surprised? He simply replaced the fat cr**k. He needs to be in prison with the wig man
Vote the vip out of office .i said i was not voting but i going to the pool to get the vip out of office
WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE NEW VERSION / WE BETTR GET USED TO IT ( THAT IS WHAT HE’S SAYING ), THESE PLAYERZ IS JUST DOING AN ACTING JOB / THEY CALL THEMSELVES THE ELITE CLUB , SOME HAVE SHARES IN THOSE SAME WHITE COLONIALIST SLAVE MASTERS COMPANIES,”SECRETLY” THAT THEY KEEP CALLING DOWN , OR THEY GETTING THEIR “HANSZ” BUTTERED ( THATS JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF THE FAMOUS ” RODEO GAMES ” AND THEY ARE SO ARROGANT THAT THEY THINK THAT THEY HAVE GOTTEN US FOOLED / AND HAS US CONVINCED THAT THEY ARE LOOKING OUT FOR THEIR PEOPLE AND THE TERRITORY’S BEST INTEREST / BUT THEIR * ACTIONS * IS BETRAYING THEM , AND THEY ARE EVEN FOOLING THEMSELVES THAT THEY ARE MASTERMINDS & ARISTOCRATS / ON THE STREETS IT IS SAID THAT THEIR OVERGROWN EGOS IS PLAYING VTRICKZ ON THEIR MINDS •