APUA has announced its first increase in water rates in more than three decades as
mounting production costs have left it with no other alternative but to introduce
limited rate hikes.
This is contained in a press statement issued by the APUA’s Water Business Unit
on Thursday afternoon.
“The Water Business Unit of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) has
maintained its Water Rates for more than three (3) decades. As we navigate
through the challenges of climate change and longer drought periods, we have been
relentless in finding and implementing alternative solutions to combat the
challenges of water scarcity. The Water Business Unit has been innovative by
expanding our water production to a dependable but costly option by harvesting
water from the sea,” the release stated.
It added that within the past ten years, APUA made significant investments by
adding new Reverse Osmosis Plants, extending its transmission and distribution
lines, upgraded to High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, and continual
maintenance and upgrades to its network.
“These efforts are all in alignment with our mission, of providing services that are
reliable, affordable and of international quality.
“As we continue to expand our network; to include an urgent need to update our
aged infrastructure it has become indispensable for us to adjust our billing rates in
an attempt to offset production, distribution, operating and capital costs,” the
release continued.
APUA said it understands that rate adjustments or increases may not always be
welcomed at first. However, it wants to reassure its customers of its dedication to
maintaining the most competitive and marketable rates while striving to uphold
international service standards.
The rate increases will not affect domestic customers of APUA.
Effective 1st April, 2024 our Commercial Water Rates will be adjusted to reflect
the following:
Customer Type: Current rate per 1,000 gals adjusted rate per 1,000 gals
Commercial $50.00 $60.00
Cruise Port $50.00 $75.00
Bulk Sales $50.00 $60.00
