“So far, society has not heeded our call to conserve energy,” Minister David Abiamofo of Natuurlijke Hulpbronnen said in parliament on Tuesday.
The minister said there was also an energy shortage last year. At the time, load shedding was also announced and society was called upon to conserve energy. According to him, society did heed the call then, which kept the load shedding limited. “But so far, we have noticed no reduction in consumption,” the minister said.
DNA member Rossellie Cotino responded by asking why N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) cannot inform society in time which areas will be without power and for how long. This would allow citizens to take certain measures in time. “The power supply is cut off without any notification. This cannot be allowed,” Cotino complained.
According to her, the EBS website also contains no notice about power interruptions. What further bothers her is that the company does use the SMS number to inform consumers monthly about their bill for the month. “When we have to pay, EBS is on time. Why can the company not use that number to share certain information with citizens?” she asked the minister.
