CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Bharat Dindyal on Friday told a press conference that full amnesty will be given to residential customers as it relates to electricity theft as a result of the stiff penalties which falls under the Electricity Sector Reform Act (ESRA) which was implemented in 1999. He added that amendments were made in the electricity sector laws basically provide a number of tools for GPL to deal with loss reduction wand electricity theft.
Dindyal noted that the specifics allow GPL to invoke charges because previously they had to go to court and explain the most technical things to the magistrate but now they are not subjected to that.
The GPL CEO explained that now GPL could use photographic evidence to take it to the police, who can institute charges if the consumer is found calculable of electricity theft once they are confronted with the evidence.
He noted that consumers who steal electricity can also apply for service and we have to provide them with such but if they are caught stealing electricity for three times GPL can refuse their service.
Dindyal said: “The thing about it is that we have to take a strong stance for people who are stealing electricity for years and when we catch them they will be charged since non-technical losses amounts to 18% and every percentage there is $300 plus million of dollars loss annually so if you calculate it would tells us where we are…most of that is theft.”
He added that it is not an insignificant problem and the law allows GPL to change your service to prepaid meters once you breach the contract so if you are not paying your electricity bill we can impose prepaid meter.
“If you are caught stealing electricity we can impose prepaid meters and I want to say also because of these wide changes to ESRA much harsher penalties can be meted out we recommended that there be a period of amnesty for consumers during this amnesty period you will be allowed to come in to GPL and report that you have tampered with your meters or someone had tampered with your meter and you request a change and no question will be asked and we do it,” Dindyal stressed.
He explained that GPL will start shortly but it will expire on December 15 this year, during this amnesty period they encourage consumers to come and request a change of meter so that they can move forward.
“If you don’t report it and we find out you have to stand the consequences but with the amendments to laws and so we submit a prepaid programme to the minister and identify the customer and the geographic location and put proper justification of wanting to introduce prepaid meter in that area, if it is approved we do it,” Dindyal said.
The GPL official stated that for residential customers it was intended to be full amnesty but for business because they have charged people for electricity it is just that GPL waive prosecution but the money they would have collected from the customer for the service be paid to GPL.
Dindyal said if the period of amnesty passes and GPL has evidence that you are stealing electricity the first thing they do now is share a copy with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and if GPL were to bring in the police they would have to look at the evidence that they have before charges can be instituted.
He explained that although a customer is charged he/she can still appeal to the PUC to dispute what GPL found and the PUC has mechanisms and an engineer to check the installation and reveal their findings and even ask that GPL explain if they are not satisfied.
Dindyal added that there is a mechanism also to allow customers to have a meter test done especially if they think that it is over recording and even if they are not satisfied with the result they can also write the PUC or the Government Electrical Inspector and ask for an independent test to be done.
He said: “So there are mechanisms in place and we are not basically left to do whatever or judge you but you have redresses.”
Commenting on billing issue, GPL must issue a bill every month and if they do not have access to the meter they issue a bill as the system is designed to take the three previous readings and average that and put in a bill for the customer.
Dindyal said it is in your interest to check to see if your meter is bad and request a change because some meters were installed in the 1970s since GPL have a meter number not the manufacture date.