And the PM hopes that the dispute between the PUC and BEL doesn't end up in front of the Chief Justice. As we've reported, the PUC announced two weeks ago that BEL was refusing to follow its directives and sing a power purchase agreement with Santander. So, the PUC said it would issue an order COMPELLING BEL to comply. Well, BEL has since gone to court to get an injection stopping the PUC from enforcing this order.
It's an ugly entanglement for the utility in which government controls a majority of the shares, and the PM says he hopes he can de-escalate it before it ends up in court:
Rt. Hon Dean Barrow- Prime Minister
"It is nevertheless unfortunate that there should be this kind of a logjam. I don't like it that BEL and the PUC are at loggerheads. I won't get into personalities but you got some strong personalities at the PUC and you have some very strong personalities at BEL. I hope this is not just a matter of personality conflicts and I don't want to cheapen the situation by suggesting that it is. But certainly, the chairman of BEL has been saying to me that he needs me to sit down with BEL and the PUC as regulator. I've just been naturally snowed under with everything else that is happening in terms of Covid and so I have not had the opportunity to do that. I will try to get to it in the hope that I might be able to persuade them to settle their differences without pursuing litigation."
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