The two largest ministries in the Marshall Islands have paid a debt of 400-thousand US dollars to the Marshalls Energy Company.
The national utility company is being forced to pay high interest costs on unpaid fuel bills to an off-island fuel company because it has not been able to retire the debt, largely because several government entities have been late to pay their power bills.
The Energy Company's General Manager, David Paul, says it has been pushing the Ministries of Health and Education, and the government-owned Marshall Islands Resort hotel to resolve debts.
Mr Paul last week said the Ministry of Health paid 200,000 of the 400,000 it owed, and the Ministry of Education followed suit with a 200,000 payment.
He says Marshall Islands government ministries and agencies still owe 500,000, but says this is new power bills, not old debt.
Meanwhile, David Paul says the Marshall Islands Resort owes about 1.5 million US dollars.
