The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

FREQUENT power outages on Black Point and Staniel Cay in the Exumas are wreaking havoc on commerce and are reducing the quality of life for the residents there, according to the area MP.

The areas of Black Point and Staniel Cay have been plagued with power outages for some time and the residents are now at their wits end from frustration.

Exuma Member of Parliament Chester Cooper said Bahamas Power and Light has to make more proactive investments to satisfy its customers.

“I am advised that the problem has worsened due to malfunction of a critical BPL asset in Black Point in the past few weeks,” Mr Cooper said. “This reinforces the point that more proactive investment is needed. We have long called for more reinvestment of our tax dollars in the productive sector of our economy.

“The frequent outages of both water and electricity are wreaking havoc on commerce and quality of life in Black Point and Staniel Cay. We have long called for more investment in the plant and equipment here, and in Exuma as a whole.

“Exuma and her cays are leading the way in the rebound of tourism particularly on the high end. We are also now without question the yachting capital of the Bahamas. We must harness this bright spark and invest more in it with great urgency.”

Local resident Pearl Rolle said she is tired of tossing groceries that went bad due to the lack of power to keep them cool.

“I am sick of having to throw away things because of the outages,” Ms Rolle said. “I buy groceries and then because there is no light to keep them, I have to throw them away. We are tired of complaining. This is the worst it has ever been. We are so tired of this.

“Some people here are reaching out to the government to try to see what they can do but there is no action taken. The weather is hot now so things are getting even worse.”

The Tribune tried to reach the head of local government there, but without success.

Kyle Wilson, president of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union, said he knows of the issues in the Exumas, but they are not due to manpower or incompetence on behalf of his members. He blames BPL management for “not listening” to its consumers and employees.

“It has come to my attention that the homeowners, hoteliers and resort owners down in Staniel Cay and Black Point are very frustrated because they are saying that the power supply is unreliable,” Mr Wilson said. “It is not as a result of my members’ inability to work or produce power, but I’m understanding there is even an issue with receiving parts and servicing and getting everything up to speed.

“The manpower can be there, but we need to get parts on time. We need the residuals, the combustibles and the consumables on time. If this is not happening then we cannot get to produce the power properly.

“I understand there is great frustration amongst those people. I understand that they have written from the prime minister downward on their displeasure, but it seems like the company is hell bent on not listening to the consumer, not listening to the union and just doing as they wish. This is the worst I’ve ever seen it from I’ve been in BPL.”

BPL did not comment on the concerns up to press time.