WATER CONTROL: NDP eyes takeover of Seven Seas plant when contract ends

Bishop John Cline has urged the National Democratic Party to prepare for a government takeover of the Seven Seas water desalination plant once its current contract expires, arguing that the territory needs better control over a critical utility.

Speaking on NDP Radio, Cline said the existing arrangement costs $1.5 million per month and should not be renewed under the same conditions. "We cannot go back into another contract under the same terms and conditions," he said, adding that water management would be a priority for a future NDP administration.

Cline stopped short of saying the plant must be run directly by government. "I don't mean necessarily government per se, but put it in hands that, however we do it, that's yet to be determined," he explained. He called for advance planning to ensure the territory is ready when the contract ends.

Second District Representative Melvin 'Mitch' Turnbull backed the push to renegotiate, saying future contracts should cover not just water production but also distribution and maintenance. "I'm not just going to make a contract for you to produce water. I need the contract to be the distribution of water and the upkeep," Turnbull said.

The Seven Seas plant operates under a framework that traces back to a 2010 build-own-operate-transfer agreement signed by the then Virgin Islands Party government with BiWater. Seven Seas later acquired BiWater's local operations. Under the current arrangement, the government pays three charges: a capacity payment for operating and maintaining the plant, a consumption charge based on monthly meter readings of water received, and an electricity charge.