The Government is rejecting claims made by the Opposition that electricity and water rates will immediately increase if the ruling party wins the next General Election.
Speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber’s Annual Business Meeting 2025 at the Hyatt on Wednesday, Minister of Public Utilities Colm Imbert explained that the process for determining utility rates is lengthy and involves multiple steps before any changes can take effect.
“I want to debunk what I saw on television last night, that as soon as we win the next election, I found that was a strange thing to say for an Opposition MP to say, as soon as the PNM wins the next election, we’ll immediately increase water rates and electricity rates – absolute nonsense.”
The Minister reiterated that while the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) published the final determination of electricity rates in 2023, the Government is still reviewing the matter and has made no final decision on subsidies. He assured that the Government remains committed to a thorough and transparent process before any adjustments are made.
With respect to WASA, he stated that the company is still in the early stages of the rate review process and is years away from any final determination.
“With respect to WASA, we’re years away from even a determination. With respect to supply, we have had issues over the last several years of disruptions in electricity supply and that caused the persons in charge of our main electricity generation facility, our main power generation facility, which is TGU, Trinidad Generation Unlimited, to take a very close look at the plant, at its business practices, its management approach and so on.”