The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power & Light began releasing a schedule of power cuts yesterday as part of its load shedding exercises.

Numerous areas of New Providence were impacted by the scheduled cuts, from Lyford Cay in the west to Yamacraw Hill Road in the east. The outages were scheduled to take place in two-hour rotations.

Among the institutions expected to be impacted last night, according to BPL’s list, was Princess Margaret Hospital. However Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said PMH has excellent generators.

BPL previously resisted calls to release a schedule of power cuts, insisting there is a safety issue around doing so.

However, this position was not supported either publicly or privately by Police Commissioner Anthony Ferguson.

Asked about the matter last month, Mr Ferguson told the press: “I really don’t want to comment on any kind of thing that involves something in a different lane. I can tell you that members of the (RBPF) are up and about. They are doing their jobs and we will continue to do that. That’s as much as I will say in respect to that.”

Unable to provide reliable service, BPL has attracted the ire of thousands of residents this summer. Some have complained about losing power for more than four hours in a day. Although BPL is in the process of installing its Aggreko rental units, it has not yet brought all units online.