President Danny Faure chaired a meeting with the Board of the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) at State House yesterday.

President Faure started the meeting by emphasising the importance of PUC in the strategic development of the country. He thanked all those that have given their services to the public corporation, and the instrumental role they have played in contributing to the development of the country and its citizens.

During the meeting, the Chairperson of the Board, Mr Eddy Belle, gave the President a full appraisal of the performance of PUC. Board members had the chance to mention various new projects and strategies underway to offer better service to citizens, and offer strong capacity building opportunities for the young professionals working at PUC. They also touched on the imminent revision of the PUC and Energy Act.

Members of the Board also had the opportunity to brief President Faure on major projects that PUC is undertaking on Mahe and La Digue, such as the La Gogue Dam project that the President visited last week, the 33kV South Mahé network reinforcement and La Digue waste water system. The PUC Board also shared various challenges including outdated infrastructure, way-leave issues and the existing tariffs on electricity and water.

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that PUC will double its efforts to implement the prepaid meters service system as soon as possible. It was also agreed that PUC would implement a systematic communications plan that fosters collaboration with other entities and media, as well as introducing effective ways to keep citizens informed on what is happening at PUC.

Present at the meeting in addition to the Chairperson and Board members, was the Chief Executive Officer of PUC, Mr Philippe Morin, and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Mr Joel Valmont.