The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

A “major underground fault” in the underwater cable supplying Resorts World Bimini with electricity was the cause of a power outage at the resort over the weekend, Bahamas Power and Light has said.

BPL, in a statement yesterday, said the power outage occurred sometime around 7pm on Friday after the cable supplying the development suffered unspecified damages, requiring a full excavation of the site where the fault occurred in order to rectify the problem.

Hours before the release of BPL’s statement, one disgruntled individual complained to The Tribune about having to stay at the resort with “no power” from Friday at around 6pm until eventually leaving on Sunday to go to Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina.

The individual also said Friday’s outage and the circumstances surrounding it were almost identical to a major power outage that occurred approximately one year ago at the resort and surrounding areas.

“No apologies, no info from anyone,” the email to The Tribune read. “They kept trying to get (the) hotel up but nothing for houses. There is a story there because I can’t imagine the cable getting cut underwater.”

Meanwhile, the utility provider, in a statement yesterday, said at approximately 7pm on Friday, a major underground fault occurred on the cable supplying the development, disrupting power to the resort. However, BPL said it rerouted power from another feeder in order to quickly restore electricity to the resort.

A “number of tests” were subsequently conducted to find the exact location of the fault, BPL said. Once identified, the area was excavated and damage found on the cable were repaired. Upon completion, power was immediately restored to the entire development and the temporary supply to the resort transferred back to its original feeder.

BPL offered its apologies to the “management, staff and homeowners of Resorts World Bimini (RWB)” for the outage.

“BPL understands the frustration of its customers and is presently working on several solutions that will help improve services,” the utility provider said. “The company remains committed to providing safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity supply to its customers and appreciates their patience during this time.”

In August of last year, a “fault” in a main underwater cable left portions of RWB without power for several days. At the time, BPL officials had suggested sourcing and subsequently installing a cable from Abaco as a potential solution to the issue.

Lloyd Edgecombe, a member of the Bimini District Council, claimed at the time that half of the RWB property had been without electricity since the week before. As a result, Mr Edgecombe claimed some 800 employees living in dormitories at the resort, as well as a number of local merchants who rent stores in the area, were adversely affected because of the lack of power.