Bahamas Power and Light headquarters.
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
LOAD shedding struck several parts of New Providence on Friday morning, drawing the anger of many consumers.
Baha Mar West, Sir Lynden Pindling Estates, Pinewood, South Beach, Marshall Road, Lyford Cay, Williams Lane, Kemp Road and portions of Shirley Street were all affected by the power outages that happened in two-hour intervals.
According to Bahamas Power and Light, this was the result of a mechanical failure of rental units at its Blue Hills Power Station.
Many turned to Facebook to blast BPL for the power failure, which they complained was far too frequent.
“BPL you people and the company are hated more than anything on this earth,” one user commented. “We have gone from bad to worse with you being the worst.”
Another wrote: “I hope y’all experience mechanical failure during y’all billing process.”
“So what was the excuse for yesterday? We were off almost 3hrs yesterday morning, and now again this morning,” another comment read.
This latest round of load shedding comes days after BPL’s chairman, Donovan Moxey, assured customers that the company was doing all it could to stabilise power generation in the country.
He said: “I would like to thank the Bahamian people for their level of patience and understanding with BPL given the challenges that we’ve recently faced with load shedding. We are doing everything that we can, within our power, in order to get stable generation to our customers.
“We believe that with what we are doing strategically in the organisation, this is the first step in allowing us to achieve stable power at the lowest possible energy cost for all of our consumers.
“And so we at BPL are excited about the possibilities, we are excited about the next step and we are excited about bringing high quality electricity to the Bahamian people.”
He made the comments on Tuesday while announcing BPL intended to phase its way out of power generation, shifting its focus primarily to transmission, distribution and customer service initiatives.
Tuesday also marked the utility provider’s official receipt of its seven new Wartsila multi-fuel engines.
Mr Moxey said the acquisition represented the first step in BPL’s new strategy and strategic outlook, which he said centres on the refocusing of the entity.
He said a component of this new direction is BPL’s relationship with Shell North America, citing its arrangement to construct a 220-megawatt gas power plant in the coming years.
BPL’s new Wartsila engines, which will be installed at Clifton Pier as a part of a $95 million, 132-megawatt power station this summer, are equipped to run on LNG once the fuel source becomes available in The Bahamas within the next two years.
Comments
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago
BANNISTER AND MOXEY MUST GO! They should not have any involvement whatsoever with BPL. Minnis should go too if he continues to tolerate such incomptence from these two individuals who are effectively his appointees.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago
I neglected to mention that corrupt union leader, Paul Maynard. He too, MUST GO!
concernedcitizen 5 years, 6 months ago
We have not been able to provide reliable power since the late 1970,s ,,although we charge some of the highest rates in the region ,,The new Wartsilla engines are a step in the right direction ,,then sign the deal w Shell , weaken the union and turn it over to people who know how to produce electricity ,,ie Shell .I think the forty year failure to provide reliable power at a reasonable price is proof enough we can not do it !!
TheMadHatter 5 years, 6 months ago
Bahamians are not concerned about this - concernedcitizen. You see them every year on July 10th out marching and dancing and celebrating "independence." What a joke. I have asked for a boycott of independence celebrations for four years in a row now - but they continue to celebrate. Well, then, let them celebrate. Let me be happy and jolly as they want to be. No power? No problem. Let's celebrate our independence. Yeah.
DDK 5 years, 6 months ago
Buncha incompetents, ALL OF THEM!
bogart 5 years, 6 months ago
DIABOLICAL CUNNING...........spin......IS IT LOAD SHEDDING...????......where the demand for electricity exceeds the stations online functioning mechanical engines and perfectly working engines to deliver. But the functioning working engines cannot produce to all....... OR............IS 3RD PARA DOWN.......'....this was the result of a mechanical failure of rental units...."......
QUESTION IS ...??????????.....DID DA ENGINE JUS SHUT OFF BROKE DOWN...SILENT.......AN IF MECHANICAL ....THEN WHY CAUSE.......???????.........how many times power is interrupted to nation because of one ting or another...?????
ThisIsOurs 5 years, 6 months ago
The major news here is the failure was in the RENTAL units. These aren't the 1000 year old broken down machines that are always blamed. This is the new equipment.
concernedcitizen 5 years, 6 months ago
In forty years we have proven we can not provide reliable power at a reasonable rate ,,sign the deal w Shell NA and give it to some one who can ..Also when u privatize like the telephone industry it weakens the union b/c the politicians can,t cow tow to them for votes ,,This is too important and industry and for forty years we have failed !!
John 5 years, 6 months ago
Anyone who doesn’t think this power fiasco is intentional and purpose driven needs their head checked. Start building your solar grid to run essentials in your home. Lights and fridge. And after a year or two you may have enough panels to run your Ac as well.. or some good batteries to run it at night. Then give BPL da finger rather than your checkbook every month.
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 6 months ago
Better make sure your solar panels are made anywhere but Red China....and they make more than 90% of them. If they're made in Red China they won't last long enough for you to recover your costs. Red China's government has promised to make Minnis a wealthy man if he can solarize most of the energy needs of the Bahamas using foreign currency borrowings because the Red Chinese have no need for Bahamian monopoly money.
bogart 5 years, 6 months ago
TIDAL POWER IS MORE EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE.....depemd on tidal currents.....and there is no shortage of water tides.........sun dont always shine for solar......but ....but....all da political leaders....living on any island....surrounded bu water.....grow up as children being on beaches knowing on tides...tidal current...lowtide high tide.........somehow fail to talk tidal power electricoty generating......whenevever...or when last any politican talk bout using reliable efficient tidal currents to generate electricity....??????...
concerned799 5 years, 6 months ago
Since we've made a decades long comittment to run LNG when are we going to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement? (as clearly we have no intention of getting off fossil fuels)
John 5 years, 6 months ago
Another form of solar energy: get up early, do everything you need to do whilst there is still sunlights then go to bed at sunset.
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