Jacobs says cost price too high at EBS

Things will have to change at the Energy Company Suriname (EBS) in order to make the company operate more efficiently. The report from Jacobs Consultancy indicates that the cost price is currently way too high at the EBS. According to the consultancy firm SRD 1.10 per kilowatt hour (KWh) should be enough to cover all operational costs.

Natural Resources Minister Regillio Dodson claims that the figure is at SRD 1.35 while sources from within the EBS told Times of Suriname that the figure is SRD 1.17 to SRD 1.19. Both figures are higher than Jacobs’ proposal. “SRD 1.10 is enough to cover everything,” said Minister Dodson on the grounds of the report from Jacobs. It is not clear how this will be incorporated within the EBS especially given the tensions between executives at the EBS and several government officials.

The EBS wants to opt for a sustainable process with gradual reforms, austerity measures and efficiency while several government officials want to implement the reforms sooner rather than later. The government officials made it clear that the mega subsidy for the EBS is putting too much pressure on the treasury. The government will reportedly give SRD 950 million in subsidy to the EBS. Minister Dodson, Finance Minister Gillmore Hoefdraad and the members of the coalition are not happy about this. Sources told Times of Suriname that several proposals were made to lower the costs within the EBS but management is still waiting for instructions from the president.