The Commerce Commission has no role in the relationship between the Fiji Electricity Authority (FEA) and its owners, and it does not have the powers to solely make a decision to raise electricity rates.

Commission chairperson Charles Sweeney has made this clear following the deferment of the commission's decision to increase the fuel surcharge rate by the Interim Finance Minister, until cabinet sits next week.

Sweeney said the Commission had earlier offered to support the FEA in any application that it made to government to remove the tariff increase imposed on its petroleum purchases by the last budget.

However, he added in the end that decision was a matter for the government and not for the Commission.

Sweeney also said the FEA's position would be assisted by the removal of tariffs on its petroleum purchases or at least a reversal of the tariff increase imposed in the last budget, however, he said it is a matter for government to consider, not the Commission.

The Commerce Commission had earlier announced they had granted the FEA an increase in the fuel surcharge rate from $2.83 per unit to $5.53 per unit effective from next Thursday, however this was overturned by the Interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry who said the final decision must come from cabinet.