Suriname

Getting Electricity in

Suriname

Listed below are the procedures, time and cost required for a business to obtain an electricity connection for a newly constructed building.

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

  • Name of Utility: N.V. Energiebedrijven
  • City: Paramaribo

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No. Procedure Time to Complete Associated Costs
1 Hire registered electrician

The customer needs to hire an electrician that is approved by EBS. The process of approval with the utility is the following. The electrician has to send an application letter to EBS.

Agency: Electrician 		1 calendar day no charge
2 Submit application at N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) and await external inspection

The electrician submits the application. Applications for connections can now be submitted online. Documents needed are: Drawing of the project which is submitted with a card from EBS showing the electrician’s registration number (verification number). EBS makes corrections to the drawings and sends these back to the electrician with the registration card. The electrician makes the necessary changes.

Agency: N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) 		14 calendar days no charge
3 N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) inspects the site and internal wiring and sends estimate to customer

After the electrician has made the changes and called EBS to set an appointment, a representative of EBS comes to inspect the worksite and to inspect the internal wiring of the warehouse. EBS serves different districts at different days of the week, so it may take one week before the inspection. The electrician should be present during the inspection. EBS provides a note of approval. However, it is not mandatory to be present. After the inspections, the customer receives a letter with the works explained and the cost. The customer pays the estimate and the deposit and the external works can start.

Agency: N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) 		13 calendar days no charge
4 Await completion of external connection works by N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS), meter installation and flow of electricity

When the customer has paid the connection fee and deposit, the electrician calls EBS for the connection works. Connection works would immediately start, however there is usually a lead time. The utility needs to build high-voltage, low-voltage lines and transformer poles and the installation. A different department with in EBS installs the meter after the external connection works.

Agency: N.V. Energiebedrijven Suriname (EBS) 		30 calendar days USD 45,137.0
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