Thursday, October 18, 2012

Our local electricity provider gets cut off for non payment.

This just was posted on the APUA (Antigua Public Utilities Authority) Facebook page:

The Antigua Power Company (APC), independent power producer, on October 12th advised the Authority that as a result of outstanding payments owed to them by APUA amounting to
$36,862,310.70 EC, it will be suspending power generation at its 50.9 mega watt power plant at the Crabbs Peninsula. This plant usually supplies 11 mega watts to the power grid.
To date however, APC has carried through with this threatened action and has gone beyond this in suspending generation at their Black Pine facility at the Crabbs Peninsula as well. They
have therefore reduced their usual supply of 34.5 mega watts to the grid to 16 mega watts as of 9:00 am this morning. They have informed the utility that they will further reduce this supply by 11 mega watts by 2:00 pm and the remaining 5 mega watts will be withdrawn by 4:00 pm unless the outstanding payment owed to them in its entirety is remitted. This has a severe impact on the provision of power to the Antiguan public as APC usually supplies 61% of the daily power demand. The Board of Commissioners and management have sought to bring this matter to the immediate attention of Antiguan and Barbudan consumers.
Currently the daily peak demand for power in Antigua is 51 mega watts. This action by APC has forced APUA to rely solely on its own generating capacity, which can currently supply 20 mega watts to the grid. This shortfall has forced load-shedding activities and consumers are asked to be prepared. The APUA Board of Commissioners and Management would like the public to know that this is being treated as the highest priority, and will provide updates as this situation develops.