Public express concern over high electricity bills in June

There has been widespread complaints from the public regarding significantly high electricity bills for the month of June 2023.

While it is common for electricity bills to increase during the hot season each year, State Electric Company (STELCO) attributed the high charge on bills to higher electricity consumption during this period.

Consumers have raised complaints due to Maldives experiencing more rainy days on average throughout June. Many of them expressed concerns about higher electricity bills compared to the hot season.

"The bills continue to surge with each passing month. [They said] that the highest consumption will be reflected in April, but the bill was only MVR 900 compared to the MVR 3,000 last month," said a customer.

"Initially, the bills were increased, citing the hot season, but even during the rainy season, the charges have not reduced. We are often not at home or even on the island, and yet the bill does not reflect this," another customer said.

STELCO previously stated that electricity bills would increase due to higher consumption during the hot season in April/May and during Ramadan, when household consumption typically increase.

STELCO's media official Ahmed Mohamed said that the recent increase in bills was due to the inclusion of part of the hot season's consumption in the previous billing cycle.

"Last month's bill was generated from May 13 and 14 to mid-June, covering a period of 28 days of consumption. STELCO does not have any authority or power over meter readings. However, STELCO will never charge for electricity that has not been consumed," the official said.

During STELCO’s Annual General Meeting held on June 20, Managing Director Ahmed Shareef said the company’s current objective is to eliminate the continued allegations it faced regarding electricity bills.

"I want to assure all our customers that we will never charge for electricity that hasn't been consumed. We have never done so in the past, and we will never do so in the future," Shareef said while announcing STELCO's plans to introduce smart meters.

According to recent statistics provided by STELCO, households typically consume an average of 560 units of electricity during the hot season, while during other periods the average consumption remains around 500 units.