By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
THE BAHAMAS Electricity Corporation is expected to purchase five or six new generators in the coming weeks for about $6 million, the corporation’s Executive Chairman Leslie Miller said yesterday.
Mr Miller told The Tribune the team of BEC experts that travelled to Florida to view the generators returned yesterday evening with “great news”.
He said the purchase of the new generators is in direct response to the continuous blackouts and power outages in New Providence and throughout the Family Islands this summer – and preparation for Baha Mar being added to the grid.
“The team is coming back this evening and we will all sit down and get their views and recommendations,” Mr Miller said, “but from what I know so far, the engines they looked at are in pretty good shape.
“We are getting a good deal with these engines and they will get us ready for Baha Mar. We need to move now; we cannot wait until another emergency situation and then not have adequate supply. That is why we are moving forward with this and we will do whatever it takes.
“I also spoke to the minister about it and he is on board. The engines are 2.5 mega watts and we were told they are in excellent shape and have no problems. So now we just have to sit down with management and talk about the details. I was told it’s about $6 million in total and that is a hell of a deal. We are getting these engines with a 50 per cent reduction in price.
“They were earmarked for Africa, but the people did not come through so the company wants to get rid of them. We are familiar with this company and these engines because we used them before. We purchased engines from them before for Eleuthera and Abaco.”
Last month, Mr Miller said BEC’s capacity to meet demand will be further crippled once the Baha Mar mega resort at Cable Beach comes on stream.
He said without a new power plant, which will cost about $200m, the country will continue to be plagued with outages that will worsen when Baha Mar is added to the grid.
“We need a new plant with sufficient reserves, that is what we are faced with right now. It will be a big problem if we don’t get this plant. If one of those engines goes down when Baha Mar comes online, it will cause serious problems. We anticipated this and tried to move fast.
“We are just waiting for those who make the decisions to make a move. If everything is percolating and working as it should, we will be fine, but if an engine trips it will present problems,” he said.
BEC has been plagued with power outages for several months. Mr Miller said this is the “worst he has ever seen it”.
Comments
B_I_D___ 10 years, 1 month ago
"but from what I know so far, the engines they looked at are in pretty good shape." They better be...they are 'NEW'...if they are not in good shape...what are we doing, buying damaged or stolen goods that fell off the back of a trailer?
digimagination 10 years, 1 month ago
I hope this is not going to be a 'pig in a poke' purchase!
TalRussell 10 years, 1 month ago
Pot cake has two major problems. Firstly, find sucker willing BEC $6 million worth generators. Secondly, if you got no fuel put in them after month's end - why buy them?
SP 10 years, 1 month ago
Hydrogen generators?
getit2gether 10 years, 1 month ago
We should be spending the money on alternate power sources. We have a huge supply of sun, wind and tides that cost us nothing and are re-newable!
SP 10 years, 1 month ago
The Sunshine and Good Old Boys can't make as much money on sun, wind and tides renewable energy.
Therein lies the problem.
Solution.......Get rid of the the Sunshine and Good Old Boys!
Tommy77 10 years, 1 month ago
lmao
http://s04.flagcounter.com/mini/kfoW/bg…" style="display:none">
concernedcitizen 10 years, 1 month ago
Read carefully .they new bran ,,Used lol
HarryWyckoff 10 years, 1 month ago
What's the point in buying more?
The staff are too incompetent to maintain the existing ones, so it's only a matter of months before these 'new' ones are so badly maintained they break down also.
Insanity.
duppyVAT 10 years, 1 month ago
Are these gasoline or diesel generators? Will they lower our cost or just keep the power on? What about the sale of BEC? Will the government ever loosen the monopoly on BEC?
concernedcitizen 10 years, 1 month ago
@DUPPYVAT,,,SELL IT ,NO ONE WOULD BUY BEC AND ITS DEBT AND OLD BROKEN DOWN EQUIPMENT...THE NEW COMPANIES WERE BIDDING TO BUILD ,OWN AND OPERATE AND GUARANTEE A REASONABLE KILOWATT RATE ..NO COMPANY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD PAY ONE THIN DIME FOR BEC ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
limeyconch 10 years, 1 month ago
Oh yeah forgot that Bahamar is coming online this year. well we better get ready and purchase some more generators, but do not worry they look like they are in good shape. WHAT A F@#$ING BUNCH OF IDIOTS RUNNING OUR POWER COMPANY
SP 10 years, 1 month ago
Diehard PLP & FNM's........All the way to hell.........YYYEEEEEHHHHAAAAAAAA!
The_Oracle 10 years, 1 month ago
The tone of the article suggests Mr. Miller is trying to publicly convince the P.M, not us! First cost $6 million FOB Florida, for BEC to install, $194 Cost overruns, $20 million, +/- 300%, Yeah, sounds right. Perry could approve that, Miller is trustworthy right?
ChaosObserver 10 years, 1 month ago
hahaha...“We are getting a good deal with these engines and they will get us ready for Baha Mar. We need to move now; we cannot wait until another emergency situation and then not have adequate supply. That is why we are moving forward with this and we will do whatever it takes......" you dumb boy! Just NOW getting ready for Baha Mar? Really....what a bunch of delinquent, uneducated fools trying to be business men...taking our money and acting like they are doing us a favor....Freaking hate this SOB...
duppyVAT 10 years, 1 month ago
Cheaper the government let Bahamar set up its own power plant.
PKMShack 10 years, 1 month ago
same old folks same old solutions, buy used for now forget buy new for the future. NEW LEADERSHIP with new minds.
digimagination 10 years, 1 month ago
And just who voted these clowns into office???
duppyVAT 10 years, 1 month ago
The government just need to get out of the BEC business but dont go the way of GBPA and Emera. Why dont let Florida Power & Light run a line across the Strait, link all of the islands with power cable and pay FPL the cheaper electricity cost. After all its only 25% the BEC cost
PLP_Catastrophe 10 years, 1 month ago
Ohhhh what a miserable life we have sunk into, power off for 8 hours yesterday and 10 hours today and on top of payin high light bill every month for electricity I ain't used, dey want me to pay dem $30 more for this misery? hell "no".
Sickened 10 years, 1 month ago
Blame yourselves fellow Bahamian's. The majority of you voted these recent fools in (FNM and PLP). You get what you vote for.
Maybe now Bahamians will stop voting party and start voting for quality INDIVIDUALS.
That $100 or $200 they stuffed in those rolled up party shirts and handed out at the campaign rally's didn't help you out much DID IT????
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