Minister of Energy and Transport JoBeth Coleby-Davis during a sitting of the House of Assembly on May 1, 2024. Photo: Dante Carrer
BY LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Chief Reporter
Lrolle@tribunemedia.net
FOLLOWING a major blackout that plunged half of New Providence into darkness on Thursday night, Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said efforts are underway to prevent a recurrence and enhance power reliability.
The outage, which affected several areas in the eastern and western part of the island, was reportedly caused by a cable fault at Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) Clifton Pier Station that triggered a generation trip.
In a statement, BPL described the blackout as “unpredictable” but noted that quick action from its teams led to full restoration “within a short period of time.” While some areas had power restored quickly, others experienced prolonged outages due to additional work required on the company's transmission lines.
Mrs Coleby-Davis said the recent power cuts highlight the urgent need for electricity reforms in the country.
“The state of the country's infrastructure, transmission, and distribution lines is strained, trying to meet the high demand for power from homes and businesses,” she told reporters on the sidelines of an event Friday. “There is great urgency to focus our efforts on addressing these challenges and to communicate with the public about the work we are doing.”
She emphasised that BPL’s teams have been working diligently to address critical areas needing upgrades, especially with hurricane season underway.
She also reiterated BPL’s commitment to ensuring power reliability for all customers should any unexpected issues occur.
“Our teams at BPL have been working to address these challenges quickly and to prevent a repeat of Thursday evening’s outage,” the minister added. “We do not expect this to be a consistent issue. We are working to ensure that system improvements are made, increasing reliability while reducing costs.”
The Davis administration has introduced several initiatives to reform BPL, including the transfer of New Providence’s electricity grid to Bahamas Grid Company, now 60 percent privately owned. Island Grid, managed by Eric Pike, will oversee operations, with Pike Electrical providing the necessary workforce, equipment, and resources.
Pike’s teams and trucks have already begun arriving in The Bahamas.
On Friday, Mrs Coleby-Davis said the government’s plans are progressing “pretty well,” but acknowledged that more work remains.
“We still have many technical discussions happening. Planning and designing are ongoing, and as things ramp up, there will be a need for more public consultation on the technical plans that will be implemented,” she said.
She added that the Office of the Attorney General is working closely with her ministry to ensure agreements are in place as they transition into the next year, aiming to bring significant improvements to the energy sector.
Comments
bahamianson 2 months, 3 weeks ago
This individual is a genius. She really has insight. I wonder whom wrote her speech because it applies to the year 1980
ExposedU2C 2 months, 3 weeks ago
JoBeth is now the main mouth piece and carrier of water for the very corrupt likes of Snake, Anthony Ferguson and Eric Pike, whom together with their equally corrupt partners in government, like PM Davis, have conducted a monumental heist of our national energy sector assets like no other. The fraud perpetrated here on the Bahamian people cannot be allowed to remain.
All of this has all been in the making for decades with the intent of enabling certain of our corrupt government officials, at the most senior levels, to both justify and participate in the brazen theft of a controlling interest in BPL's assets by a crooked and greedy cabal of marauders led by Snake, Anthony Ferguson and Eric Pike.
The Bahamian people get stuck with all the debts of BPL/BEC and exorbitant electricity bills to come, while the crooked cabal of thieves get a clean slate and controlling possession of most of the revenues produced by a utility monopoly vital to our national security interests.
And make no mistake about it, Pintard and his fellow FNM parliamentarians will share responsibility with the corrupt Davis led PLP government for the entire mess to come because of their support of the new electricity legislation that facilitated this outrageous heist of our national assets for mere pennies on the dollar of true value. Pintard should have long ago announced that any future government led by him would immediately unwind this heist of national assets and properly deal with all issues relating to BPL in a fully transparent manner.
TalRussell 2 months, 3 weeks ago
The entire colony --- needin' reforming! -- Am I the only comrade who has pondered -- Blackout or someone monkeying around -- Deliberately tripping BPL power switches ---'Tis really two different situations'. -- But the third situation is no better -- Cause the CID is currently in no position to shed some light. -- "You can't make this stuff up" -- Yes?
trueBahamian 2 months, 3 weeks ago
So let me see. Energy reform = more business for FOCOL and crew. How are we in such dire need of help energy wise when we've spent tons of money on top of the line generators and also have engaged in having FOCOL supply a good portion of our energy needs. It's very interesting that things deteriorate exponentially right around the time someone gets a great deal. A deal that is perplexing as to why they got it and why is it more beneficial to those getting the deal than it is to the consumer.
ThisIsOurs 2 months, 3 weeks ago
"FOLLOWING a major blackout that plunged half of New Providence into darkness on Thursday night, Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said efforts are underway to prevent a recurrence and enhance power reliability"
According to Brave Davis the problems were a thing of the past fromJuly when Franklyn Wilson showed up mysteriously with 2 new generators.
This the same salty carrot they be selling us for 50 years to enter into one bad contract after the next. Fred Ramsey was the only person convicted of entering into bad contracts by way of bribery
This new contract which gives away all of BECs assets to a company with literally nothing and a valuation of 200m based on nothing is another example of such. They will leave BEC just as broken as it was the day they secretly entered into this bad deal. The investors will make out like bandits and continue to tell us how wonderful their money making is.
TalRussell 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Come with it Comrade ThisIsOurs, --- Was BEC's Fred Ramsey, a House of Crab or House of Torch political appointee. -- Yes?
ThisIsOurs 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Doesn't matter. I mentioned 50 years. 50 years of using BEC as somebody's private cash wooly mammoth.
The only reason Ramsey was convicted is because the intel came from outside the country. I believe this is the foundation for the resolution of the corruption that runs in this country from top to bottom. International prosecution. Who knew about CCA emails telling Chinese construction workers to "fake work better" before the Delaware Bahamar case?. Metayer in Miami triggered the investigation of the police force. Someone sent a financial transactions spreadsheet on FTX to Coindesk. The local police still saying they waiting on evidence to charge Sam with something
TalRussell 2 months, 3 weeks ago
On sentencing date 8 July 2016 the Defendant, now Convict, Freddie Ramsey, during a trial lasting two weeks which the prosecution called 11 witnesses', -- Defendant had exercised his right to remain silent and called a single "good character" witness. --- Yes?
Bonefishpete 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Well it could be worse. "The Zahrani power plant, the last and only plant still providing electricity in Lebanon, reportedly shut down on Saturday, Sawt Beirut International reported on X, citing Lebanon's electric corporation, lectricit du Liban."
pt_90 2 months, 3 weeks ago
If we being compared with Lebanon who has notoriously worse power issues, we are in problems. Not sure if you follow them closesly but it tends to be so bad there many people simply rely on generators and solar as thier primary source (not just as a backup). Now they ran out of fuel....
trueBahamian 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Lebanon? Lol. I guess it's good BPL is better than their Lebanese counterpart given we were behind the West Bank and Gaza Strip a few years ago for ease of doing business.
Craig 2 months, 3 weeks ago
"The state of the country's infrastructure, transmission, and distribution lines is strained, trying to meet the high demand for power from homes and businesses". Nonsense, excuses, BPL has been having these issues for 50 years. Bottom line, the people who running that company, top to bottom, are simply incompetent and must be replaced.
ExposedU2C 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Agree that most of BPL's board and management team need to be replaced because of their obvious gross incompetence in dealing with BPL's troubled financial condition brought about by decades of political interference of the worst possible kind.
We must also keep in mind that BPL's troubled financial condition is due in large part to the corrupt fuel supply arrangements it has had over many years with enterprises controlled by the insatiably greedy Snake who constantly boasts of the great profits enjoyed by the likes of FOCOL.
It is simply unconscionable that this corrupt Davis led PLP government should now see fit to facilitate the heist of our nation's energy sector by a cabal of well-known crooks led by the greedy likes of Snake and Anthony Ferguson.
One only has to look back at what the corrupt Arawak Cay Port deal did to the cost of living for Bahamians. In that crooked deal, Hubigitty Ingraham had the government guarantee a small group of wealthy Bahamian families (financial backers of the FNM party at the time) that they would receive a minimum 10% annual return on their investment in the new Arawak Cay Port for many years to come. Soon after, shipping rates for everything imported spiked significantly, greatly increasing the of living for most Bahamians.
And the same will now happen with electricity rates as a result of the very flawed and non-transparent arrangement under which the corrupt likes of Snake, Anthony Ferguson, Eric Pike and others are being allowed to seize control of BPL, a national monopoly, for mere pennies on the dollar of true value, with a de facto guarantee from government that electricity rates will be set to allow them to enjoy great riches from their unjust heist at great cost to all Bahamians.
Meanwhile, Pintard has yet to announce that, if elected PM, he would ensure affordability caps are put on electricity rates where necessary with only two customer types being allowed, commercial and residential customers, and with all rates being based on usage alone and none based on either location or perceived wealth of the customer. Pintard must assure voters this would be done by him as PM even if it means having to completely "undo" the corrupt and harmful non-transparent arrangements Snake, Anthony Ferguson, Eric Pike and others have literally forced on the Bahamian people with the blessing of corrupt PM Davis and without appropriate input from the public.
Bonefishpete 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Listen I’ve seen PIKE CORPORATION work in Florida. It’s top notch. They are replacing and hardening transmission lines for FPL. If picked they are more than capable of replacing Providence Island grid. I suspect they will use mostly their crews with some jobs available to Bahamians. Now with that said you also need electrical generation. They can’t help there.
ExposedU2C 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Can't help but wonder whether our government knows exactly who it is dealing with and whether the info below was revealed during its due diligence work on Eric Pike.
Morgan & Morgan Announces Investigation of Sale of Pike Corporation (PIKE)
NEW YORK, Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Morgan & Morgan announces that it is investigating the proposed sale of Pike Corporation ("Pike" or the "Company") (NYSE: PIKE) to Court Square Capital Partners in partnership with J. Eric Pike, the Company's Chairman.
On August 4, 2014, Pike and Court Square Capital Partners entered into an agreement whereby Court Square Capital Partners and J. Eric Pike, the Company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will acquire Pike. Under the terms of the agreement, Pike shareholders will receive $12.00 per share in cash for each share of Pike they own. Mr. Pike will remain as CEO in the newly formed private Company.
Morgan & Morgan's investigation concerns whether Pike's Board of Directors breached its fiduciary duties to Pike's shareholders. Additionally, the investigation will determine whether Pike's CEO, J. Eric Pike, took advantage of his position by structuring a deal that pays an unfair price to Pike shareholders. Pike stock traded at $12.57 in 2013 and one Wall Street analyst has a $13.00 per share price target.
Morgan & Morgan is one of the nation's largest 200 law firms. In addition to securities fraud, the firm also practices in the areas of antitrust, personal injury, consumer protection, overtime, and product liability.
Contact: Morgan & Morgan Peter Safirstein, Esq. 28 West 44th Street Suite 2001 New York, NY 10036 1-800-732-5200
SOURCE Morgan & Morgan
What exactly does our government know about Court Square Capital Partners?
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