ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — The Antigua Public Utilities Authority says it charged customers less than the calculated fuel variation rate for several months to soften the impact of rising international fuel costs.

Acting CEO Roger Tongue said APUA’s fuel costs rose sharply in April, but the authority kept the fuel variation charge at 55 cents per kilowatt-hour because it expected prices to decline within a short period.

“We did not at that time increase the fuel variation cost,” Tongue said. “We thought maybe within a short period of time that we would see a decrease in the fuel costs.”

He said the anticipated decline did not occur, leaving APUA with persistently high expenses that were not included in its 2026 budget.

The calculated fuel variation rate should have increased to 66 cents per kilowatt-hour in April and 88 cents in May, Tongue said.

However, APUA kept the charge at 55 cents in April and increased it to 70 cents in May. In June, customers were charged 80 cents per kilowatt-hour, although the calculated rate remained 88 cents.

“We decided that we would increase the cost at a lower level,” Tongue said. “We’ve tried to subsidize a bit and ease the effect of these increased costs that the public would bear.”

Tongue said APUA understands customers’ concerns and will continue monitoring international fuel prices.

“Once the prices are reduced, we will be able to ensure that we adjust the fuel variation accordingly,” he said.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: APUA Says It Delayed Full Fuel Charge Increase to Ease Burden on Customers.