The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Some Family Island resorts are reporting that “disgruntled clients” are demanding refunds due to the frequent Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) outages that are disrupting their experience of The Bahamas.

Arnette, the owner of Acklins Creekside Bonefish Lodge, said the property and its guests had to endure the equivalent of five full days without any power during June and July. The lodge does not possess stand-by generators able to power the whole resort, instead possessing smaller engines capable of only powering the three-foot freezer and a fridge.

Pointing to multiple power outages lasting as long as five hours, and occurring three times per week on average, the Acklins Creekside Bonefish Lodge has also suffered surges - once BPL supply is restored - that have knocked out three 32-inch TVs as well as surveillance cameras and computers, as well as a 15 pound ice machine.

“Clients left disgruntled requesting refunds, although weather conditions were extremely poor,” Arnette wrote. “Operating the little generator costs a minimum $500 weekly.” The loss of BPL power, she added, meant that some food supplies went bad.

Other Family Island resorts reported similar difficulties and challenges due to BPL’s inconsistent electricity supply. Yvonne Rolle, owner/operator of Rollez Villas, Cat Island, told Tribune Business that the consistent outages have rendered her resort uncomfortable for guests.

She said: “The power keeps going in and out, but thankfully no guests have cancelled. But they have been complaining about the lack of Internet service because of the power cuts. They keep asking when will the Internet come back on? We have tried our best to keep things bearable and hospitable, and make up for shortages in that area.”

Shirley Rolle, owner/operator of Pine Island Resort, North Andros, said electricity supply has been stable for the past week after replacement generation capacity was installed following the fire that destroyed the area’s power plant. “When it was off it cost me a few guests, but it gave me time to do some maintenance to my place,” she added.

Jeff Birch, general manager of the Small Hope Bay Lodge in North Andros, said that because his location has been receiving power from BPL’s Central Andros Fresh Creek station the resort as endured little disruption.

He said: “I think that they determined that the central area surrounding the Fresh Creek station is on regardless of where they’re sharing the power. In other words, whether they shut off the south or the north, the surrounding area of Fresh Creek, Calabash Bay and Love Hill, they seem to not be on the same schedule of sharing power. So we haven’t had to have the same burden that I think some of my brothers and sisters have had.”

Cheryl Bastian, owner/operator of Swain’s Cay Lodge, Mangrove Cay, added: “We have our standard power cuts once or twice a week, but that’s no mystery. But it’s horrible and it was worse when the plant went down for the folks in the North. But in Mangrove Cay south, it has been OK, and there hasn’t been anything out of the usual.”

Chamon McIntosh of the Bluff House, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, said BPL’s outages average between four to nine times per week, averaging 30 minutes per time, with electricity off for over four hours on one occasion.

She added: “We have some units that don’t have back-up generators, and the backlash from the renters can be a bit much as they think it’s something that we can predict or even fix ourselves, which isn’t the case.”

“Generator maintenance varies each month as we can have no issues for months and then, one day, we experience multiple issues which have to have a technician come in and diagnose and fix them. For fuel, in total for our resort, I would say we will spend about $300 a week in fuel and the maintenance can be upwards of $3,000 annually if not more if a more serious problem occurs.

Ms McIntosh added: “The group of BPL workers that I encounter when they arrive to fix issues are very helpful, caring, and they do inform us when they think power will be restored and what the issues were. I think the major issue is that the amount of power (KW or MW) needed to power all of Abaco is not being met with the current engines and generators that BPL has in place.”

Justin Dubowitz, Cape Eleuthera’s general manager, said BPL power outages are “very disruptive” and have destroyed various electrical equipment around the resort. “This affects the guest experience of our marina and hotel guests,” he added.