The Tribune

By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE new Bahamas Power and Light board will “be in place on Wednesday,” according to Works Minister Desmond Bannister who said the group’s first priority is tackling the utility provider’s “inability to keep the lights on.”

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Bannister confirmed that the new board was selected, but said Cabinet will have to release the full list of names to the press. The Tribune understands the board’s new chairman is Darnell Osborne.

Meanwhile, Mr Bannister said he is “extremely troubled” that BPL has not been able to keep the lights on and said in his constituency, Carmichael, the power has been off every day for the past few weeks.

“I have been very, very disappointed as I have indicated before. The power has been out in Carmichael every single day. These issues at BPL are causing me great concern,” Mr Bannister said.

“The new board will be in place on Wednesday and they will immediately review these issues with a view to fixing these issues as quickly as possible. There are a number of issues but we are looking very seriously on bringing affordable, efficient electricity to the people. “We deserve better and we will get better. This is a highly competent board and I look forward to working with them, they are going to make a difference in the country,” Mr Bannister said.

Mr Bannister also told The Tribune that BPL’s new board will issue a request for proposals (RFP) for alternative energy, saying a lot of companies are interested in this.

“That RFP will be for providing alternative means of electricity. We have had people come to us with solar and waste to energy proposals,” he said.

Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Paul Maynard said while BPL has the capacity to keep up with electricity demand, “some days will be good and some days will be bad.”

“If something happens the lights will go off, there is nothing we can do about that, some days will be good, some days will be bad, that is how it works in the summer,” Mr Maynard said.

“We have power but if a 25-megawatt engine goes out, which is what has been happening, we will have to load shed.

“We had to do it last week. Clifton Pier was having problems. The point is we dealing with ancient equipment, that we need to get rid of. We need to change the fuel and change the equipment.”

Last week, Mr Bannister told The Tribune the lack of reliable electricity may prevent the government from fulfilling all the necessary requirements in the Baha Mar heads of agreement.

The heads of agreement requires the government and BPL to “address reliable and consistent supply of electricity on the island of New Providence, which will include the ability to meet the requirements of the project.”

This involves the installation “of all supporting infrastructure necessary to support secure and dependable electricity supplies to the project, without the need for unusual load shedding or other interruption in electricity supply to the project.”

This must be completed by December 31, 2017 and any failure by the government to resolve the energy problems by the end of the year, will be treated as “a force majeure” event.

If that occurs, then Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and its Baha Mar-owning affiliate will be released from performing their heads of agreement obligations for as long as it takes to remediate the problems.

Mr Bannister said while the agreement with Baha Mar is important, his first concern is with the Bahamian people.