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Electricity for most power
requirements on Grand Cayman is
provided by Caribbean Utilities Co.
Ltd., which operates under a license
from the Cayman Islands Government.
Electricity rates are somewhat
higher than in the U.S. or the U.K.,
a factor being the use of fuel oil
to power the generators. Residents
learn the importance of being
conservative in the use of
electricity to keep the monthly bill
as low as possible. The Cayman Brac
Power & Light Company supplies
electricity on Cayman Brac, and has
a different rate structure to that
on Grand Cayman. Bottled gas is used
for cooking in many homes and is
available from Home Gas Ltd., Grand
Cayman, at CI$49.75 per 100-pound
cylinder. For water, the traditional
sources of supply have been private
wells and/or catchments in cisterns,
but these have been supplanted by
piped water supply in most areas of
Grand Cayman and the western end of
Cayman Brac. These public water
supplies are provided by two
companies, the Water Authority and
Cayman Water Company. Both provide
desalinated water.
The Water Authority supplies water
on Grand Cayman from the capital,
George Town, to Breakers, in Bodden
Town. The authority was continuing
work in this area and on to Frank
Sound during 1997. The authority's
service in Grand Cayman is
distributed from four storage
reservoirs, three in George Town
with a total capacity of 3.2 million
gallons. These tie into a 1.0
million gallon reservoir and
re-pumping station in Lower Valley,
which was commissioned in August,
1996. The authority's water supplier
is Ocean Conversion Cayman (Ltd.),
which provides up to 1.452 million
US gallons per day (USGPD) from its
reverse osmosis plant at the Red
Gate Water Works in George Town. For
the Water Authority, first-time
connection fees range from CI$80 for
a 3/4-inch diameter connection, up
to $800 for a six-inch diameter
connection. Monthly charges for
water meter rental range from CI$5
for 3/4-inch meter, up to $58 for a
six-inch meter. The authority levies
a residential customer minimum
monthly charge of CI$21.04 on Grand
Cayman and of CI$27.40 on Cayman
Brac. Cayman Water Company supplies
in excess of 1.6 million USD to its
franchise areas which comprise the
West Bay Beach and the district of
West Bay. The company's total
storage capacity is now four million
USG. Cayman Water Company's charges
are as follows: on the West Bay
Beach, CI$17.45 per 1,000 gallons
for the first 3,000 gallons, after
which the cost increases to CI$17.68
per 1,000 gallons. In the district
of West Bay, the rate is $14.73 per
1,000 gallons for the first 3,000
gallons, thereafter increasing to
$17.68 per 1,000 gallons. Water for
commercial purposes is supplied at
the rate of $17.68 per 1,000
gallons. Three private
water-trucking services distribute
water to various parts of Grand
Cayman. The trucking companies
purchase water from the Water
Authority's Red Gate Water Works
facility in George Town as well as
from the authority's East End
groundwater facility. The Cayman
Water Company also provides trucked
water on Grand Cayman from its
facility on West Bay Road. Trucked
water in Grand Cayman can vary from
CI$35 to CI$50 per 1,000 gallons,
depending on the source of supply
and the destination.
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