MEUG Questions Government’s Electricity Savings

The Major Electricity Users Group (MEUG) has today called for the government sector to demonstrate that it was pulling its weight on the national effort to make cuts to electricity consumption.

Terrence Currie, Chairman of MEUG, said the Government had promised that the State sector would reach a 15% savings target, but that there was no evidence that this had been attained.

“Businesses are shutting down production, but government offices keep burning up power vital to the productive economy,” Mr Currie said.

“In a tough spot like this, everyone in the country must do their part.

“The Government must take a leadership role and make visible contributions. Its daily savings need to be reported publicly alongside the regional reports given for the whole country.

“Like the required run rate in one-day cricket, the required rates of savings go up everyday that we fail to reach the target,” Mr Currie said.

He said the efforts of local government had also been piecemeal, with some councils making very real changes to lower consumption, but others, particularly some of the biggest councils, making virtually no savings at all.

“It’s better to endure some short-term discomfort now, than have the country paralysed by blackouts in a few weeks time.

“The lesson from the 1992 power crisis is that people must feel the urgency and closeness of the crisis before they take meaningful action. The blandness of the ECCA campaign has put even more pressure on the state sector to show that real savings must be made now,” Mr Currie said.

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