Bahamas Power and Light headquarters.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
A LIGHTNING strike caused an island-wide power outage on Monday evening, Bahamas Power & Light Chairwoman Darnell Osbourne said.
She told The Tribune: “We had a little fire, the system shut down. With the lightning strike and weather issues, these are things out of our control.”
A statement from BPL said weather in the west affected transmission lines around 6.50pm. By 8pm, power was restored in limited areas: Poinciana Drive, parts of Bain and Grants Town, Carmichael Road and side streets and parts of Wulff Road.
In its statement, BPL said the fault was identified and repairs had begun by technical staff.
Many residents took to Facebook to express their anger at the situation.
One person wrote: “Since VAT is going up as of July 1, Ministry of Finance, the Bahamas and Bahamas Power and Light had better keep this lovin’ power on!”
Another person posted: “Island wide blackout AGAIN. 242 what y’all think BPL will say (caused) it this time?”
Said another person: “As long as my appliances and devices come back on I’m straight. They blew our water heater last time.”
In March, Works Minister Desmond Bannister said BPL was ready to meet demands for the summer season, always a challenging time for the power generation company.
“Preparations are on the way to ensure that BPL is ready for the summer season in order to meet the peak demand,” he said in the House of Assembly. “The islands of Bimini, Abaco, Exuma and New Providence will be targeted for special attention before June."
Comments
ThisIsOurs 6 years, 4 months ago
Oh boy what McCartney guh say tomorrow. Lol. Suppose the fire cripple the main controls. Like one switch control the entire island and the lightening strike that one spot. I hope Minnis make his stew fish on the weekend.
Dear Lord please have mercy and spare us another 24hr blackout. We sorry we complain bout VAT
John 6 years, 4 months ago
These are some strange clouds hovering over the Bahamas over the past few days. HARP on that.
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years, 4 months ago
Properly grounded electrical equipment will 99.9% of the time dissipate the tremendous amount of electrical energy from a lightning strike leaving the equipment undamaged. Darnell Osbourne does not even realize she is simply confessing that most of BPL/BEC's electrical equipment is not properly grounded to avoid unnecessary power outages and equipment damage whenever serious lightning storms come our way. Because of the incompetence of Osbourne, consumers and commercial establishments are still needlessly incurring damages totaling millions of dollars each year to their own electrical equipment, e.g. fried home appliances, fried air conditioners, fried TVs, fried computer equipment and so on. The Bahamian people are in desperate need of a much more competent chairman of BPL. The demands of BPL were way over Osbourne's head from day one, and she's collecting a pay cheque way above her pay grade from the standpoint of competency!
Dawes 6 years, 4 months ago
I think you are blaming Osbourne too much. Whilst she may be at fault sometimes if the equipment is not properly grounded then it is all the people who have been involved in BEC/BPL since it started.
DDK 6 years, 4 months ago
She there's NOW. Mudda is talking about NOW, I believe. The sham that is BEC is due to fifty (50) years of bad governance; but now It's The People's Time.
DWW 6 years, 4 months ago
the power lines aren't grounded because Bahamians steal the copper grounding wires on the poles. That isn't BPL's lack of trying. I'm sure they try to keep up with the theft but there is only so much one can do.
observer2 6 years, 4 months ago
Get your candles ready for hurricane season.
If one lil cloud a rain knock out entire grid den when hurricane come we ga be mess right up.
12% VAT ain ga help, de jus lay of 250 workers an ge dem $20 million. So ain no money ta fix nuttin. Money leakin outta government as quickly as they can raise taxes.
Socrates 6 years, 4 months ago
like i say before, the Bahamas is not the only place in the world that has these summer time thunderstorms... how do others manage to keep most of their customers with light while every time a rumble of thunder sounds near Nassau, we get island-wide blackout? I don't buy the argument that weather ONLY to blame..
ashley14 6 years, 4 months ago
We had thunderstorms yesterday and didn't lose power. We rarely lose power, although we aren't on a island in the ocean. I don't know.
ashley14 6 years, 4 months ago
I will tell you the quality of internet services that I've received in the Bahamas doesn't compare to what we have in the states. I don't know why.
sheeprunner12 6 years, 4 months ago
We would think that BPL would have a solution to lightning strikes by now .......... how will they respond to emergencies when 300 workers go home soon??????? ....... How many BPL workers took the package on the various Out Islands, that are already challenged?????
proudloudandfnm 6 years, 4 months ago
Live in the west. No lightning when the power went off...
This happens frequently. And every time it happens we get a canned excuse from BEC.
Stop the madness...
sheeprunner12 6 years, 4 months ago
True .......... the lines burn up in Long Island when salt spray build up on the high tension lines in the drought months .......... so rain is a blessing, even for BPL.
bogart 6 years, 4 months ago
Doesnt it seem rather odd dat in the evening time the lightning storms cause hours long power blackouts, whereas when da lightning an thundering carrying on dead bad during da daytime da power manages to stay on....?????? An given the prevalence of so many lightning caused failures.....isnt dere someting mechinery wise to fix dat problem going on so long now?????.... Sometings seem almost predictable....just like dem Haishun sloops travelling round next couple months an during New years ....
SP 6 years, 4 months ago
Blah, blah, blah, caribgeneartors.com are offering emergency standby generators at good prices with a financing option. Stop whining and contact them!
killemwitdakno 6 years, 4 months ago
I don't think they've used that one before. Whilst ya had a cloud to blame, go ahead.
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