MNU and STELCO to conduct study on rising electric bills

State Electric Company (STELCO) and Maldives National University (MNU) today signed an agreement to conduct an academic study into rising electric bills.

The agreement was signed by STELCO's Managing Director Hussain Fahumy and MNU's Vice Chancellor Dr Aishath Shehenaz Adam.

According to the agreement, the study, which is to be published publicly, will analyse all electric bills issued by STELCO from 2014 onwards.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Fahumy said that there are various opinions on the bills. As such, he requested MNU to conduct and publish a fair, academic research into the issue.

"In order to facilitate this, we will, without any reservations, provide all information we can and give access to our systems. There will be no limits in this. We will provide all resources," he said.

"We strongly request that this be done without any restraint and that the truth of the matter is revealed to the public," he said.

Shehenaz said that the main objective of the study is to conduct an academic research in the field of electricity, provide opportunities for higher education as well as internship opportunities.

Focus areas of the study include:

- Determine electricity consumption levels at different times of the day

- Identify seasonal relationship with electricity consumption

- Examine authenticity of STELCO's billing process and identify what can be done to increase transparency

- Check for any discrepancies between the amount shown on the electric meter and billed amounts

- Authenticate bill calculation and check for discrepancies

Additionally, the study will also look into electricity economising methods and identify areas in reducing electricity consumption, said Shehenaz.

This study comes as STELCO faces public criticism over increasing electricity bills. Just last month, many took to social media expressing their concern over the matter.

STELCO provides electricity to over 70,000 households in the Malé area, with power demand reaching 100 megawatts during peak hours. This year, the peak demand rose to as high as 113 megawatts. In response, STELCO has decided to visit households and conduct audits to address the issue of rising electric bills.

According to STELCO, electricity consumption has continued to increase by about 8 to 10 percent each year. Based on this, they estimate that peak hour demand could rise to 120 megawatts within the next year.