NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (July 06, 2026) – Premier of Nevis and Minister of Energy, the Honourable Mark Brantley, has assured electricity consumers that any sustained decline in global oil prices will be reflected in their electricity bills as the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) continues its efforts to shield residents from the impact of rising energy costs.
Speaking at a recent press engagement, Premier Brantley emphasized that the recent reintroduction of the fuel surcharge was intended as a temporary measure to ensure the continued viability of electricity generation, while assuring consumers that savings would be passed on as fuel prices stabilize.
“As things stabilize, we’ll pass those savings on to the consumers,” he said, expressing hope that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen and global oil prices would continue to ease.
The Premier also apologized for the communication lapse surrounding the reintroduction of the surcharge, acknowledging that a miscommunication between the NIA and the Nevis Electricity Company Limited (NEVLEC) resulted in the surcharge being applied before the public was formally advised. He said the Administration had since sought to explain the reasons for the temporary measure and pledged to improve communication with the public.
“There was a communication error on our part... between the NIA and NEVLEC, and as a consequence the fuel surcharge was applied without first advising the public. I apologize sincerely for that... It is not the way that I try to do business...Going forward we commit to doing the very best we can to keep our people informed but also to pass savings on to them when those savings come.”
Premier Brantley explained that the government had reintroduced the fuel surcharge only after rising global fuel prices made it impossible to continue absorbing the additional costs.
“From 2022... until June 2026, no household in Nevis paid a fuel surcharge. None. It cost the government $28.9 million to subsidize every household on this island, and for businesses we capped the fuel surcharge at 65 cents. The government simply cannot continue because the difficulties caused by the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz were so severe.
“This was a temporary measure because the hikes that we have seen simply made the generation of electricity uneconomic and unsustainable for the island of Nevis... As things stabilize, we’ll pass those savings on to the consumers.”
While noting that global oil prices have begun trending downward, Premier Brantley urged the public to understand that any reduction in electricity costs would not be immediate because the fuel currently being used may have been purchased when prices were at their highest.
He said the government’s approach remains consistent with its efforts to shield the people of Nevis from external economic shocks through initiatives such as its programme providing free electricity to senior citizens.
Premier Brantley added that while the NIA would continue taking measures to cushion the impact of volatile fuel prices, the long-term solution lies in the development of Nevis’ geothermal energy resource, which would reduce the island’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and better insulate consumers from fluctuations in the global oil market.
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