The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH “happy” that a storm recovery and stabilisation (SRS) charge by the Grand Bahama Power Company has been further suspended, the Coalition of Concerned Citizens pledged to continue to fight its implementation.

During a virtual town meeting under the theme, ‘Change Must Come,’ president of CCC Pastor Eddie Victor said he was pleased that GBPC had decided not to implement the extra charge as planned next month.

“This is a time to say, ‘praise the Lord’. We are happy it is not being implemented October 1, but still not happy it will be implemented at all, and that is going to be a case of further advocacy by the CCC and others who are going to fight for justice in this economy of GB; change must come,” said the local clergyman and civic leader.

Ahead of CCC’s planned town meeting Thursday evening, GBPC issued a statement that morning announcing that it was deferring the SRS charge to recoup $15.6 m in hurricane restoration costs over five years.

The company had initially planned to implement the charge on April 1 but deferred it after consultation with the Grand Bahama Port Authority due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of Grand Bahama.

Pastor Victor indicated that the high cost of power has adversely affected the island’s economy for many years, and has caused several major businesses to close on the island.

“We have to bring change in GB when it comes to the energy sector. Our main objective is to bring down the cost of electricity,” said Pastor Victor.

Through their campaigns and ongoing agitation since 2013, he noted that CCC was able to achieve a “small victory” in getting the fuel surcharge reduced to 10 cents. However, he noted that the base rate is the highest in the Bahamas.

“We pay more in base rate than Nassau,” Pastor Victor said.

Kirkland Russell, vice president of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Trade Union Congress, accused Emera and GBPC of misleading residents of Grand Bahama in its letter.

He claimed that in the statement GBPC had indicated it had not implemented any cost recovery associated with Hurricane Matthew when it did.

Mr Russell noted that according to the company’s 2018 financial report, GBPC/EMERA was approved to recoup the cost over five years.

The trade unionist was also concerned about how the SRS charge to recoup the $15.6m cost associated with Dorian would be applied to consumers on Grand Bahama if the charge, according to GBPC, is based on consumption.

GBPC indicated that the SRS charge is based on consumption and will fluctuate month by month depending on the customer’s power usage.

The company said with prudent use, customers can reduce the SRS charge and overall bill.

Mr Russell wants to know of the $15.6 m, which portion is forecasted to be paid by major companies in the industrial sector which are the largest consumer of electricity on GB.

He also noted that GBPC has not done any restoration work in East Grand Bahama, from the Casuarina Bridge to East End settlements.

The trade union leader indicated that more than 60 percent of Grand Bahamians are not working, and the economy is shut down.

“One of the sad stories of this whole thing is the mere fact that this island has only survived after Dorian because of the monies being invested by National Insurance Board, Social Services and other government agencies, and…because of great work and contribution of NGOs,” Mr Russell said.

He indicated that Grand Bahamians have been paying millions in costs for GBPC operations for many years and getting nothing in return.

“What does EMERA want the people of GB to do? You want us to take little money we getting…to pay levy for you to run a 100 percent cost-free operation? We pay 100 percent of the fuel surcharge to run turbine engines; pay $80m to build the new power plant; we pay every penny for the restoration of Matthew; and now you want us to pay every penny for the restoration of Dorian. We cannot be your partners as you would have us to be to pay the bills to restore your company, and we receive not a dime.

“We are in a serious financial crisis in GB,” Mr Russell said.

EMERA is a 100 percent foreign-owned Canadian company. In 2017, the company forced the minority Bahamian shareholders, which held 20 percent ownership in the power company, to sell their shares to EMERA.