The Tribune

By CHESTER ROBARDS

Tribune Senior Reporter

crobards@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Electricity Corporation experienced a power outage yesterday which affected the entire island of New Providence, according to the utility’s public relations officer Arnette Ingraham.

The entire island was brought back online by 6:00pm, a subsequent BEC press release said.

Mrs Ingraham said initial investigations showed that “a fault occurred on one of the Corporation’s main underground cables at approximately 3:30pm”.

“The fault caused the temporary loss of BEC’s generation, transmission and distribution networks,” a BEC press release on the incident said. “The result was an island wide power failure.

“Crews began working to restore supply immediately. Less than an hour after the initial outage, the first group of residential and commercial customers had their supplies reconnected.”

The BEC press release said the exact cause of the outage is still unknown.

In several areas power had been restored within 30 minutes of the breakdown. However, “Closed” signs went up on many doors of darkened Bay Street stops yesterday afternoon.“Our efforts are now concentrated on returning generator units to service so that we can begin restoring supply,” said Mrs Ingraham. “We have already restored power to some areas.”While concerns grew over whether the outage may have been the work of angry BEC employees who have taken exception to drastic changes being made by the company’s executive chairman, Leslie Miller, a union head confirmed industrial action was not to blame for the blackout.President of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union, Stephano Greene, said the union is not involved in any industrial action, adding that their course of action would not be to turn off lights.“If it is (sabotage) it isn’t the union,” Mr Greene said.“We’re not on any industrial action and even if we were involved in industrial action we don’t participate in sabotage or turning off power.”