The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FREEPORT – The Coalition of Concerned Citizens is continuing its fight against the Grand Bahama Power Company’s rates by officially launching a new petition drive to lower the cost of power on Grand Bahama.

Pastor Eddie Victor of CCC said this time they are seeking to secure 15,000 signatures on the island.

He believes that certain measures can be taken to reduce the power rate for residential and business consumers.

During a press conference held at St John’s Jubilee Cathedral, Pastor Victor and retired engineer Roger Johnson claimed consumers are paying for power at “retail cost” from the power company.

Joining them in their protest were community leaders and activists from various local organisations and churches, including Kendal Colebrooke, of the ‘Enough is Enough’ movement; Rev Glenroy Bethel, founder of Families For Justice; Evangelist Dexter Edwards, founder of United Bahamas Prisons Ministries, and Pastor Nelson Bain, of New Beginning Life Ministries Intl.

Pastor Victor said the petition will be distributed to various to all churches on the island. He also stated that volunteers will be posted at foodstores, banks, and other business establishments.

Once they would have reached their goal of 15,000 signatures, the petition will be presented to the GB Power Company, the Grand Bahama Port Authority, the Regulators of the City of Freeport; and the Prime Minister of the Bahamas.

Kendal Colebrooke said he supports the CCC and is willing to fight with them to reduce the cost of electricity on GB.

“We need to come together and fight… I am calling on all men get out of their comfort zone and come and join this fight,” he said.

Pastor Victor said: “Hundreds of people lived without power during the Christmas Holiday season and we cannot enter into a new year with citizens and businesses having to bear unsustainable high electricity costs. Enough is enough.”

In addition to the immediate revision of the present tariff structure, the reversal/removal of the three cents per kilowatt hour increase which was granted in 2011, and incentives for residential consumers, the petition calls for consumers to be allowed to install solar energy systems, and for a 10 megawatt solar plant to be connected to the island power grid.

The petition is also calling for other power generating plants to be connected to the grid.

Pastor Victor noted that the 25-year line extension agreement for East and West Grand Bahama expires in 2018.

“This must not be renewed by the government in the interest of the Bahamian citizens. Power generation in East and West GB will provide for a more stable grid and provide more employment,” he said.

Mr Johnson said the new biodiesel project introduced by the GB Power Company is impractical.

In November, the Power Company began cultivating the Jatropha Curcas plant at the Garden of the Groves.

The company said the seeds can be crushed to produce a vegetable oil that can be used to make fuel they can burn at their facilities to produce electricity. They said the move could stabilise power rates.

Mr Johnson – a former executive at the power company who retired in 2006 prior to its purchase by EMERA – said solar would be better choice.

“We have one of the highest level of sunlight. The energy you can get from sun is free. It is something that is being utilised around the world in these modern days and times,” he said.

He said the Power Company should encourage people to install solar panels, and should use meters that can utilise solar energy and switch over to city power when the sun goes down.

“This is what is happening throughout the US and Europe, and now in some parts of the West Indies because the sun is natural free energy,” Mr Johnson said.