SOL has lawyered up and is withholding key pricing information, says Heyliger-Marten
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten has challenged the practical outcome of the meeting between SOL, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina and Members of Parliament, saying the discussions did not establish whether the fuel prices affecting consumers’ utility bills are justified.
Speaking at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, at which she was the only minister present, Heyliger-Marten said critical supporting financial information remained outstanding in the examination being conducted by Bureau Telecommunications and Post, BTP.
The meeting, involving the Prime Minister, opposition MPs and some coalition MPs, therefore did not resolve the central pricing question, according to the minister’s account. She did not announce a fuel-price reduction, a utility-tariff adjustment, or a negotiated financial concession as a result.
“The value of any meeting is measured by the answers it produces, not how successful it was described afterward,” Heyliger-Marten said.
“An informational meeting may help explain SOL’s position. It does not establish whether the prices charged are justified.”
The minister said BTP had completed its fuel-clause review, while it continued examining GEBE’s base electricity rate. However, completing the fuel-clause component did not mean BTP had answered all questions about the underlying fuel-supply costs.
According to Heyliger-Marten, BTP raised concerns about rising fuel costs and comparisons with other markets. SOL supplied some information and requested an extension, but the financial documentation needed to verify the pricing remained incomplete.
She accused the supplier of failing to cooperate fully with the review, said it had engaged legal representation, and said it limited the information it was prepared to disclose. These were the minister’s characterizations; the briefing material supplied for this report contains no direct response from SOL to those allegations.
Heyliger-Marten also pointed to what she described as SOL’s ownership of the fuel pipeline and storage infrastructure, arguing that GEBE could not simply arrange for another supplier to use those facilities. She characterized SOL’s position as a monopoly and said that made scrutiny of the pricing especially important.
The wider BTP work examines whether the costs appearing on electricity and water bills are supported, justified and fairly allocated. Its scope includes customer-rate arrangements, GEBE’s billing and financial controls, and the allocation of electricity costs to water production.
The minister distinguished BTP’s technical role from the authority to change tariffs. BTP examines evidence and provides independent advice, while competent authorities make tariff decisions and must follow applicable procedures.
Heyliger-Marten said TEATT and VROMI had already initiated the examination through BTP. She argued that discussions with SOL should advance that work by providing verifiable answers.
“The public deserves better,” she said.
She committed to publishing a BTP report in November, while acknowledging that a nondisclosure agreement would restrict the release of certain commercially sensitive information. She also said the report would address the base-rate work.
Although she said a possible solution to the price buildup was already in view, she did not disclose its terms, quantify the potential savings, or provide an implementation date.
For households awaiting relief, the outcome reported at Wednesday’s briefing was therefore a continuing investigation and a promised November report. The minister’s account did not establish that the meeting with the Prime Minister and MPs had delivered lower prices.