President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reduce electricity costs, and called on the public "to exercise their share of the responsibilities by reducing energy consumption and wastage”

The president made the comments while speaking at the function held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) at Dharubaaruge, on Tuesday evening.

Urging the public “to exercise their share of the responsibilities by reducing energy consumption and wastage” and to follow STELCO’s advise on energy efficiency, he stressed that electricity costs cannot be reduced “without the combined efforts of the administration and the public”.

Solih highlighted that his administration has eliminated the decades-old disparities between capital Malé and the outer atolls, by “successfully harmonising electricity tariffs across the country”.

Furthermore, the president emphasized that the administrations accords the highest priority “to protecting the environment”, and highlighted efforts “to lower the country’s dependency on fossil fuels and increase the application of renewable energy sources”. He also spoke on the progress of the efforts to install solar hybrid PV systems across the country.

While STELCO’s ‘Green Life Initiative’ has inaugurated at Tuesday night’s ceremony, the president emphasized on “the scourge of plastic pollution on the Maldives’ fragile ecosystem” and urged the public to “do their part in the fight against plastic pollution, especially against single-use plastics”.

Solih also launched a special book which details the history of electricity services in the Maldives at the ceremony, and presented awards to individuals who had served in the electrical sector for over 35 years as well as special recognition awards to those who had made remarkable achievements in the service to the industry.