Management provided some interesting information on GEBE’s five-year strategic business plan (see Tuesday paper). It’s good to know that the local utilities provider has decided to switch from fuel oil to natural gas for its electricity production, which should not only lower its own and consequently consumers’ energy bills, but also reduce air pollution and the country’s carbon footprint.
Protecting the environment at the plant in Cay Bay and using more renewables are noble goals too, but as usual the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Country-wide underground cabling as well as improving the water grid and storage capacity are pretty much no-brainers mainly due to frequent hurricanes in the area.
Enhancing service to the public is certainly welcome, as is creating an adequate working environment for employees, considering the extensive damage Irma inflicted especially on the main office in Philipsburg. A state-of-the art digital-metres network so clients can keep better track of their usage would certainly be a big help.
Whether all that will make GEBE “one of the best in the Caribbean” as stated remains to be seen, but at least the ambition is there. How the necessary investments are to be covered was not explained and with major losses suffered due to the island’s worst-ever natural disaster last September, the government-owned company may realistically not be able to pay much dividend for the near future.
The latter is not the end of the world, as ultimately a high-quality and reliable supply of water and electricity matters most, not generating income for the national treasury. GEBE simply must be allowed financial space to realise the necessary upgrades.
One aspect missing was a much-discussed waste-to energy plant at the oversaturated and troubled landfill. If the intention is still to produce electricity by burning garbage and other trash from the dump, making it feasible is going to require a power-purchase agreement sooner or later.
