No issues in electricity bills in former govts: Fahmy

The Managing Director of State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) on Tuesday has said there were no discrepancies in the electricity bills issued during former governments.

He said that the bills have always been calculated based on the meter readings which is reflective of household consumptions.

Fahmy made the statement on ‘Raajje Miadhu’ program on PSM while speaking about the announced discounts on electricity bills in Ramadan.

While speaking about the reduced electricity bills for the Islamic holy month, Fahmy also highlighted the recurring public complaints in every previous administration over surging utility bills. He assured unscrupulous bills have never been issued to consumers, even in previous governments.

Fahmy has been serving at STELCO for 25 years, long before he was appointed to helm the utility company under the current government.

“I would have plenty to talk about STELCO’s operations as a long-serving employee of the company. Had the former administrations or managements issued wrongful bills, I would have been talking about it today. I would have attempted to take political advantages based on that too, but I assure you, no unscrupulous bills were ever issued in any of the former administrations or managements,” Fahmy commented.

STELCO has also decided to fully replace the meters with smart-meters and transition the conventional electricity network to a smart grid in a bid to enhance services to consumers.

Fahmy added that if President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s vision for utility services is realized, it would integrate solar energy to STELCO’s grid which in turn would allow for the company to turn of its power generators for at least eight hours every day. He added the reduction of utilizing fuel-powered energy production would subsequently reduce expenditure on oil.

He further noted the positive result of this would be reflected on reduced electricity bills, and added the objective of installing smart meters was to ensure this.

He affirmed STELCO intends to replace all traditional meters with smart meters within a one-year period which the company intends to achieve on its own expenses.

With the government announcing discounts on water and electricity bills for consumptions in Ramadan, STELCO added it would need to spend MVR 160 million in extending the discounts.

Providing a long-term solution on surging utility bills during Ramadan is a key pledge of President Muizzu.