~BTP is examining fuel invoices, generation data, efficiency reports and financial records; preliminary findings expected before the Council of Ministers in August.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- More than 400 financial, operational and technical documents from utility company NV GEBE are now being examined as part of an independent review of the company’s billing practices and fuel-clause calculations, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten announced Wednesday.
Speaking during the Council of Ministers press briefing, Heyliger-Marten said the review has moved beyond speculation and into the verification stage, with financial analysts, engineers and legal experts examining GEBE’s source documents and comparing the information against relevant fuel-market data and applicable regulations.
The Minister acknowledged the continued pressure that high electricity bills and fluctuations in the fuel clause are placing on households and businesses.
“I know that high electricity bills and fluctuations in the fuel clause continue to place tremendous pressure on household budgets and our local businesses,” Heyliger-Marten said.
She said she hears the frustration and understands why residents are demanding clear answers.
According to the Minister, when the current government took office it committed itself to establishing a utility regulatory system that is lawful, transparent, professionally supervised and capable of continuing beyond the lifespan of any particular government.
Heyliger-Marten said that although a regulatory framework had been envisioned in law for years, it had never been fully activated.
“That regulatory gap was inherited by this government, and today we're closing that gap,” she said.
Rather than putting another temporary solution in place, she said government opted to develop a framework based on legislation, independent oversight and evidence-based decision-making.
BTP Demanded GEBE Records
The Minister disclosed that on July 13, the Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP), acting as concession supervisor under a ministerial decree, formally issued GEBE with what she described as a comprehensive request for information.
BTP requested operational data, pricing information and financial records required to independently examine GEBE’s billing practices and fuel-clause calculation.
Heyliger-Marten said GEBE cooperated fully with the process and met the required deadlines.
During the final week of July, she said, more than 400 financial, operational and technical documents were turned over to BTP.
The documents include:
- Fuel invoices;
- Electricity generation data;
- Efficiency reports;
- Financial records; and
- Other supporting documentation used to verify how electricity costs are calculated and ultimately passed on to consumers.
The Minister described the submission as an important milestone.
“This is an important milestone because it means that the process has now moved beyond speculation into now verification,” she said.
Analysts, Engineers and Legal Experts Examining GEBE
According to Heyliger-Marten, financial analysts, engineers and legal experts are now examining the actual source documents.
They are verifying individual costs and comparing GEBE’s records against relevant fuel-market information and applicable regulations.
The Minister said this is how government should approach the controversy surrounding electricity costs.
“Facts before conclusion, evidence before opinion, and accountability before assumptions,” she said.
The review is particularly significant because electricity bills and the fuel clause have remained major public concerns, with residents and businesses demanding greater transparency over how their electricity costs are determined.
However, Heyliger-Marten made clear Wednesday that she would not announce conclusions before BTP completes its technical work.
Preliminary Findings Expected this Month
The next major development is expected during August.
Heyliger-Marten announced that BTP is preparing its preliminary technical findings for presentation to the Council of Ministers sometime during the month.
Following that review, BTP is expected to begin issuing structured public reports.
According to the Minister, those reports will explain BTP’s verified findings, provide greater transparency concerning the fuel clause and identify areas where accountability and operational efficiency can be strengthened.
Some information, however, may not be made public where lawful confidentiality requirements apply.
That means the public could soon receive a clearer technical explanation of the calculations and underlying information used to determine the fuel component ultimately reflected in electricity costs.
Permanent Regulation and Social Rate
The GEBE review will also feed into government's wider effort to establish a permanent utility regulatory framework.
Heyliger-Marten said information gathered during the review will assist government in finalizing a national decree containing general measures, or LBHAM.
According to the Minister, the framework is intended to govern utility oversight, fuel-clause calculation and a social-rate mechanism designed to protect seniors and vulnerable households.
The announcement suggests that the current examination is therefore not being treated simply as a one-time investigation into electricity bills, but as part of the government's attempt to establish permanent oversight of the utility sector.
Minister: I will not prejudge the Review
Despite the growing public demand for answers on GEBE, Heyliger-Marten stopped short of suggesting that BTP has already found wrongdoing, errors or improper calculations.
“I will not prejudge any independent technical review, and I will not promise to predetermine outcome before the evidence has been fully examined,” she said.
“The people of St. Martin deserve facts, not speculation.”
But the Minister also made a commitment concerning what will happen if problems are uncovered.
“If this review identifies errors, inefficiencies, or practices requiring corrections, those findings will guide the lawful action this government will take,” Heyliger-Marten said.
She added that responsible government should not simply be judged by how quickly it responds, but whether it responds correctly.
For consumers struggling with electricity costs, attention will now turn to BTP’s preliminary findings and, more importantly, whether its examination of the hundreds of GEBE documents identifies errors, inefficiencies or practices requiring correction.
Heyliger-Marten said the process represents more than a review of electricity bills. She described it as another step toward restoring public confidence in institutions through professionalism, transparency and accountability.