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Nadi residents will face the brunt of higher prices if the proposed electricity tariff increase is implemented as initially planned.

This has been highlighted by Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Lawrence Kumar.

Responding to questions about whether the Nadi business community has expressed its intention to increase prices if the tariff increase is implemented, Kumar said that any ideal businessperson would increase their prices to cover costs arising from external factors.

“In fact, this is how business is run across the board—if there is any external factor or external cost that needs to be borne in the running of a business, that cost will obviously be passed on to the consumer. No business house is going to absorb the cost and still maintain the cost of services to the consumer.”

He said that if the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission decides to continue with the initially planned increase, residents in Nadi will surely suffer from an increased cost of living.

Kumar added that businesses in Nadi are strongly opposing an increase in the electricity tariff, stressing that even though the tariff has not been revised for a number of years, it is unfair to “wake up one day” and decide on such a hike.

He claimed that people are not given enough data on why the electricity tariff increase is necessary at this point, highlighting that the decision should be postponed for now.

Energy Fiji Limited says that the tariff increase is intended to support its operational costs to ensure a reliable energy supply and support its efforts in adopting renewable energy sources.

EFL is emphasizing that the tariff increase was planned with vulnerable communities in mind, asserting that ordinary citizens, especially those using fewer units at home, will not be impacted or will bear only a minimal impact.

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