MUL offers lifeline to customers in arrears

No residents who owe money on their utility bills will have their electricity or water cut off this April, Montserrat Utilities Limited (MUL) has assured.

Managing director Julian Daniel spoke on ZJB Radio on 12 April about the lifeline the government-owned company is offering to its customers.

He said MUL is welcoming the opportunity to “work in very close partnership” with account holders, and urged them to take this opportunity to consider how they can pay their bills.

“You are encouraged to come into MUL for the month of April to settle your accounts,” Daniel said.

Those in arrears can visit MUL’s administrative office in Brades to meet with the manager or customer services officer, and revisit previous payment plans, he explained.

“MUL understands that there are and will be challenges and we know that we will work together in a mutually beneficial manner towards a positive outcome,” he added.

A ‘positive transformation’

The managing director said the company looks forward to doing more in the very near future to more meaningfully help customers.

“MUL needs you to assist us with the positive transformation of the way we serve you,” Daniel told listeners.

“We need you our customers to help us to sustainably increase the reliability and quality of the electricity and water we all rely on.”

He added that the company thanks all of its customers and stakeholders who reliably pay their utility bills and whose accounts are not in arrears.

In March “faults occurring in existing generators and a transformer” caused several power outages across Montserrat, according to MUL at the time.

Meanwhile, a new generator, number eight, bought last year, is now fully operational. MUL expects it to contribute to “a more stable and resilient power supply”.

Montserrat’s electricity and water provider has suffered from financial and infrastructure problems for a long time.

In February, Deputy Premier Samuel Joseph described MUL as a “hot potato” issue which has been passed from one administration to the next and has made very little profit in ten years.