ENERGY and Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis. (Photo: Dante Carrer)
By KEILE CAMPBELL
kcampbell@tribunemedia.net
ENERGY and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis could not definitely say whether Bahamas Power and Light tariff rates could be adjusted this term.
On Wednesday, she said tariff rates are inequitable, with the “least able to pay paying more than large businesses”.
While discussing the Electricity Bill during that debate in the House of Assembly, she said existing BPL rates will be maintained for the next three years while a tariff review is ongoing.
However, she also said if BPL seeks to adjust its rates before the end of the three years, it must make its case to the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA).
During yesterday’s Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) press briefing, she said the government “cannot do everything all at once” as it seeks solutions to BPL’s problems.
“This industry is so fickle, and its changes so fast-paced, we have to be careful in how we address each possible solution, and so everything will be a phased approach so we get it right and the Bahamian people do not suffer at the end of the day,” she said.
“It wouldn’t be that we try to take on all at once because that would cost a lot of frustrations because it has to do with switching out systems, bringing on fuel and this, that, whatever, and so to avoid bringing any sorts of frustrations to the larger Bahamian public, it will all have to be phased out.”
Members of the opposition declined to support the passage of the Electricity Bill and Natural Gas Bill, citing a lack of consultation, among other concerns.
Mrs Coleby-Davis said the opposition is “in no position” to criticise the government due to what she perceives as their failure to progress legislation for the energy sector or address its issues during their tenure.
“We have issues upon issues that we’re trying to address across the entire Bahamas that had they started addressing it, I may have met a headway or may have had a little breathing room because they were advancing the energy transition in our country. We are now having to do it. It is indeed a crisis,” Mrs Coleby-Davis said.
“We’re dealing with age-old generation systems, old transformers that if the line on those popped today or tomorrow and we’re not able to get them back up and running, we can have areas of our country that is out of electricity for whatever period until we get it back on-stream.”
“We’re in a crisis. We have to fix BPL, and I’m not here to play political games. The opposition had an opportunity when they served. I don’t think they did enough and so now that we’re faced with having to fix this crisis, I have to get the work done.”
Comments
stillwaters 6 months, 3 weeks ago
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stillwaters 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Girl....you had better get doggone certain!!!!!!! If you know you're going to do it already.......stop lying..... sick of the lies. When the weather turned cooler, yall talked about how BPL prices would drop when it had nothing to do with yall.....people just stopped using so much airconditioning. Now the first damn feel of heat.....here yall come taliking nonsense...getting ready to rape us of our money again all summer long.
ExposedU2C 6 months, 3 weeks ago
This chicom dingbat is nothing but a lying mouth piece for corrupt Davis and the entire leadership of the now chicom controlled PLP.
CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE HER AND OTHERS LIKE HER PASSING LEGISLATION THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO DETERMINE WHICH CUSTOMERS CAN AND CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR THE ELECTRICITY THEY CONSUME, WITH THE GOVERNMENT DESIGNATED WEALTHIER HAVING TO PAY MUCH HIGHER ELECTRICITY COSTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUBSIDIZING THE MUCH LOWER ELECTRICITY COSTS THAT WOULD BE BILLED TO THOSE DESIGNATED LESS WEALTHY !!!!!!!
Meanwhile the foreign owned hotels, resorts and other developments will continue to get their generous electrical power concessions and government departments, agencies and SOE's will remain BPL's biggest delinquent debtors, to the tune of mega millions of dollars.
No sane Bahamian should ever vote for any PLP party candidate ever again. The party is no longer progressive ........ it is now down right communist!
And why doesn't corrupt Davis himself not forthrightly address what he is proposing and supporting here??!! He shamelessly let's others carry all of his bad water.
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 3 weeks ago
"least able to pay paying more than large businesses”.
The least able to pay is everyone. We hear all the time that revenue doesnt equal profit. So how can anyone determine who is "more" able to pay ridiculous electricity rates?
In the ammendment the tariffs have to be submitted to URCA, does IRCA have the right to reject them?
I'm not impressed by the minister at all, she speaks clearly but never appears to know anything. Whose fault that is, I dont know. The fuel hedge argument was a totally different argument to this one. The rates hikes post fuel hedge were supposed to span a few months and then lead to a return to "normal" rates, now here's a whole new plan that suggests "some" people might get some really altered, assumedly higher rates. She came to parliament to discuss a "new plan" 2 months or so ago, then when questioned about the rates suddenly we hear nothing's worked out yet and they have to go back and reassess... but you just presented the new plan(????)
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 3 weeks ago
And to be clear, being a minister and being able to have all these facts at your fingertips and debate without notes as the Pindling elite cabinet did, is hard. Our mistake is believing "anybody" can do this job, just look nice for the pics.
It may sound discriminatory because it is, but this job is not for any man off the street. Even among the educated you'd have to thin the crowd. First you have to be able to read, you have to have good comprehension skills, ability to communicate, leadership skills, excellent recall, good command of history, comprehensive understanding of law, ability to think on your feet and debate. Chatacter and ethics without those two we wasting our time. Could a man off the street have all those qualities? Yes, but he would be no ordinary man, he would be a born leader
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Influence. You cant get into an argument with or strongarm everybody to get your agenda sold.. you could.. but..
ExposedU2C 6 months, 2 weeks ago
LOL. You're certifiably nutzoid. Both Papa Doc and his son Baby Doc had all of the traits and qualities you describe, and look where Haiti has ended up.
Ill-tempered Jobeth should have long ago been locked up for her attempt to kill or cause serious bodily harm to a police officer using her car as her weapon of choice.
ThisIsOurs 6 months, 2 weeks ago
I think yall just have serious personal hatred for "some" people. I dont know if anybody would say Papa Doc had "good" ethics.
ExposedU2C 6 months, 2 weeks ago
The likes of Jobeth and PM Davis are little more ethical than Papa Doc and Baby Doc were during their rule over the Haitian people.
Both Papa Doc and Baby Doc were able to read, had good comprehension skills, were able to communicate, possessed leadership skills, had excellent recall, enjoyed good command of history, had a comprehensive understanding of the laws they chose to ignore, and could think on their feet and debate, or should I say dictate. And yet they proved to be corrupt, evil and cruel to the core during the entire time of their respective dictatorships over the people of Haiti. Don't be fooled ....... Jobeth, like PM Davis, is not the least bit principled or ethical.
John 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Two points: when you hear her blaming the opposition for the BPL situation after her government has been in power three years. And nothing has even been done to shore up generation capacity for the summer months. TWO: what is Power Management? The talks are about breaking BPL into three parts, but what is being done to increase and improve ‘power management?’ Something that can be very critical and essential to the future of BPL and its cost effectiveness
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