Stakeholders Consultation on Quality Service Standards

The Independent Regulatory Commission, Dominica’s regulator for the electricity sector, has presented a draft set of Quality Service Standards for public consultation. The introduction of a Quality Standards regime will help to ensure that the principles of competition are maintained, even in our current situation where DOMLEC has been granted an exclusive licence to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in Dominica.

Quality Service standards will:

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• bring DOMLEC’s operating efficiencies under scrutiny,
• mitigate against the common occurrence of service quality reduction in times of increasing costs or pressure to reduce costs
• compensate consumers for any breach of the guarantees
• encourage better service.

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The standards being proposed for discussion fall into two categories:

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• Guaranteed standards – a set of service criteria which the utility will guarantee as a basic level of service to individual customers. In providing this guarantee the IRC is asking the utility to pledge to make a compensatory payment to the affected customer, should the standard be breached.
• Overall standards – a set of service criteria which affect the public supply system generally and therefore large groups of customers. Breaches of these standards have an overall impact on delivery of service either to customers generally or impact on the technical performance of the power system.

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A Stakeholders’ Consultation on Quality Service Standards will take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 to

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• discuss the notion of quality standards overall,
• examine and receive feedback on the proposed standards
• hear suggestions and comments from stakeholders.

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Feedback received during this consultation will be incorporated into the final set of Quality Service Standards.

The Commission invites the public to this Consultation of key stakeholders in the electricity sector. The full Draft Quality Service Standards Consultation Document can be accessed on the IRC website, www.ircdominica.org or from our office at 42–2 Kennedy Avenue, Roseau (third floor, above Subway Restaurant). Our telephone numbers are: 440-6634 or 295-9335.

Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Venue: Public Service Training Center (above Post Office on the Bay front)

Notification of attendance by Friday, May 8, 2009 is preferred, however drop-ins are also welcome.