Some health clinics had their electricity supply disconnected by the BVIEC due to millions of dollars owed in electricity bills in 2024. Photo: Internet Source

General Manager of the BVI Electricity Corporation, Dr Neil M. Smith (second from right) told Talking Points on September 8, 2025, something had to be done to catch the attention of the BVI Health Services Authority as 5.5 million dollars was owed to the BVIEC with communication becoming one-way. Photo: Facebook

Health Clinics were alerted of the possibility of being disconnected in 2024, by the BVI Electricity Corporation. Photo: Facebook/File

This matter was brought up during Talking Points on Monday, September 8, 2025, by Co-host Damion C. Grange, an employee of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA). 

Some health clinics had their electricity supply disconnected by the BVIEC due to millions of dollars owed in electricity bills.

“The BVIHSA owed you some money, and you took a really hard stance with the BVIHSA. Are you taking similar stances with other agencies and persons or companies that owe you?” Grange asked. 

BVIEC didn’t say much then

Dr Smith said the BVIEC had not said much regarding the situation with the BVIHSA back in 2024, but he was now taking the opportunity to address the matter. 

He explained that when he came into the BVIEC, the BVIHSA owed the corporation 5.5 million dollars. “That’s bad enough,” he said, revealing that that was the company’s single largest outstanding debt “by far, by several magnitudes”, adding, “That’s the BVIHSA, you don’t want to touch them really”. 

The BVIEC began communicating with the BVIHSA; however, according to Dr Smith, it got to the point where it was a one-way type of communication. 

“The BVIEC is faced with issues where we have creditors and we have debtors that don’t want to pay us from all levels; from the highest levels in government to the other levels, we tried to communicate with no response. We had to do something to catch their attention,” he stated. 

Dr Smith said there was no way of explaining such a big outstanding debt to the company’s board of directors, that the debtor seemed to have had no intention of paying. 

“How do I address that? And at the same time, I have salaries to pay, I have machines to maintain, I have pensions to pay as well…so that is a problem.”

The BVIEC is not responsible for supplying the BVIHSA with power

Dr Smith continued revealing that the BVIHSA was given deadlines, which were ignored. 

“What the public saw was when the clinics came off, which followed the same principle…we have this all the time, when the suppliers are not able to settle their bills immediately, we communicate with them and say we understand, but this is what we’re going to do and we’ll work through it. That was the problem we had with BVIHSA…I don’t know if it was a hardline because it took maybe 8 months for it to happen.”

“It’s hard, you know, because you cut off some clinics,” Grange interjected; however, Dr Smith said, “That wasn’t done without warning.”

Dr Smith replied, saying, “It is not BVIEC’s responsibility to maintain the electricity supply to the BVIHSA; it is the board of directors, whose responsibility it is to ensure that the supplier is paid to continue to supply the products. That’s the issue.”

This is the fact that the public does not appreciate, the BVIEC boss added. 

“It’s something we did as a last resort. And you noticed that the main hospital didn’t come off, and all of those clinics that came off have generators on them.”

In defence, Dr Smith said the clinics were given a heads up before their electricity supply was disconnected.. 

In the end, he said, “You cannot just continue to ignore your suppliers; they have obligations too.”

See link to related story 

https://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/en/news/bviec-disconnects-health-clinics-due-to-bvihsa-owing-millions-in-electricity-bills