Results for energy

I read with interest the letter recently published by the Director of the Tonga Electric Power Board and the Minister for Transport. As a tax payer can I please ask what are the terms of this 'loan'? - Viliami Lakasi

Shoreline Power, Tonga's sole power generator signed a "Preliminary Sale Agreement" with Northpower of Whangarei, New Zealand, on October 31, Soane Ramanlal, the Chief Executive Officer for the Shoreline Group of Companies announced this afternoon in Nuku'alofa.

The Tonga Electric Power Board today, announced a 5.21 seniti increase in the price of electricity that by the end of the year could translate into a 35.6% increase for domestic consumers.

While Tonga is still struggling with tension to rebuild herself from an economic earthquake, the $60M loan to buy back Shoreline is the overture to a tsunami. Prime Minister, Feleti Sevele equating religion to economy in his news release last week was a hopeful attempt to shape the people's frame of reference and soften the blow. - Mele Payne Lynch

With the wretched economic climate in Tonga, the people can ill afford to ignore the malfeasance and graft typically exercised by those in power to potentially manipulate the terms of acquisition of Shoreline. Both Government and Shoreline should not exercise complete autonomy in this venture because the interest of the consumers is at stake. Therefore, the process and result need to exist in symbiosis with the community. Shoreline has not provided much financial, operational & maintenance details to suggest a compelling economic proposition thus this creates ample opportunity for critical errors exacerbated by various factors. - Mele Payne Lynch

Shoreline's recent announcement for sale is one of the intense climacterics of the moral, economic and political hardships and factions in the Kingdom. There is scuttlebutt that Shoreline's undisclosed multi-million dollar sales price is approximately T$60 Million and prior to Prince Lavaka's resignation as Prime Minister, Crown Prince Tupouto'a and members of the royal family were in favor of a T$100 Million loan from China to facilitate the purchase of Shoreline resulting in a royal dispute and subsequently Lavaka's resignation. = Mele Payne Lynch

The Shoreline issue becomes bolder and bolder as the night goes by and I believe this remains a crucial issue to discuss with its impact on the overall development of Tonga. On my earlier articles, I insisted on the importance of information for the decision makers. Let me give the public some ideas on the issue and I hope this will help enlightening also the government, TEPB and the Politicians. - Henry Alexanda Tonga

I must thank 'Inoke Fotu Huakau for his letter of 2 May about this planned march. As you have put it Editor, this is a Shoreline protest march. From what I have gathered, this is largely because the power tariff is unjustifiably too high and part of this is because the Shoreline Executives are getting hefty remuneration packages. -Sailosi Finau

You might be interested in the following issues with which I am assisting Shoreline - Peter P. Goldstern