No power rate hike - Ministry

The Power and Energy Ministry yesterday denied there is a clandestine move to increase power rates.

“There are rumours spread by interested groups that the Ministry is planning a secret rate hike. This is absolutely false,” a spokesperson from the Ministry said. Any future rate revision will be made pursuant of a public notification and an ‘opinion study’ by the Public Utilities Commission, which at present has the sole authority on such matters, he said.

“The Ministry cannot effect rate revisions now since this power was vested in the PUC by a new Act presented in Parliament in 2009.”

He said the PUC is compelled to publish and notify people, via advertisements carried in national newspapers, before any future rate revision.