THE INABILITY of the National Petroleum Corporation (NPC) to provide a consistent supply of natural gas to its customers, particularly commercial operators, in recent weeks would have caught many off guard, particularly at this time of the year.
The delivery of natural gas has been a highly reliable service over many years, so neither the supplier nor the users may have contemplated the existing situation.
That the disruption has been a protracted one should have sent an early warning signal to many businesses that depend on this service as a critical component of their operations. With many experiencing enhanced demand for their goods and services during December, nothing ought to have been left to chance.
But it is clear that there has been a lack of preparedness for the fallout from such an eventuality, given the desperate cries.
Given its inability to rectify the issue within a few days, the NPC should have rolled out its crisis management plan provided there is one in place. As the sole provider of natural gas, the NPC must know its clientele and their demands, especially during the hectic December period.
There should have been consistent communications and recommendations on how best customers could overcome the challenges. The efforts of the Minister of Commerce, Donville Inniss, to personally interact with both the NPC and affected businesses, were very commendable.
The NPC must recognise that its customers cannot make excuses to their clients about not giving timely service, and it must be aware of the impact of its supplies to manufacturing enterprises which sustain hundreds of jobs and earn foreign exchange.
Equally, the damage done to big and small businesses which can incur losses in their processes, such as the case of WIBISCO and small bakeries, must be understood by the gas supplier.
It is only in circumstances where there is an act of God that excuses can be tolerated. Unfortunately, the NPC is not a regulated public utility under the Fair Trading Commission.
However, all the blame cannot be shouldered alone by the NPC. The situation highlights serious gaps in issues such as disaster mitigation, poor risk management and a lack of business continuity planning, particularly on the part of some of the affected hotels and restaurants.
While the challenges of having an alternate energy supply may present a major issue for a large operation such as WIBISCO, this is not so for the other enterprises. The situation raises concerns as to whether they are equipped with back-up systems in case there is a prolonged man-made problem or natural disaster. It would be reasonable to query whether they can meet demands for water and electricity should these services be disrupted.
Consigning blame is not the answer. Rather, there has to be an alternative plan in place.
