The Tribune

By Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

Bahamas Power & Light’s chief operating officer said that - while its New Providence network has enjoyed significant reliability improvements - the Family Islands remain the utility’s greatest challenge.

Speaking at the Bahamas Institute of Chartered Accountants (BICA) Accountant’s Week conference, Anthony Christie said the Family Islands remain a logistical and technical challenge for BPL as it seeks to deliver reliable power across the archipelago.

“Well, currently, we always measure ourselves on summer readiness; whether we can get through the summer on New Providence. I think we’ve improved a lot in how we operate and generate electricity here. We only experienced a few major outages, mostly related to the transmission and distribution system or storms, but in terms of generation, we performed very well,” he added.

Mr Christie said the Family Islands face unique challenges due to their scattered geography and older infrastructure, which complicates both routine maintenance and the rapid response to outages compared with New Providence. 

“The Family islands remain my greatest challenge due to the dispersed network and logistics of getting equipment and personnel there. Many of these islands also have older units, so maintenance is more difficult,” said Mr Christie.

“Some islands experienced extended outages, island-wide, which makes summer particularly tough. You can imagine, for example, the Prime Minister at the Cat Island Regatta losing power and getting a call, but thankfully, service was restored within a few minutes.”

He admitted that summer is “honestly… my greatest nightmare,” citing the heightened demand and increased likelihood of outages during peak demand periods. 

Despite these challenges, Mr. Christie stressed that BPL is actively working to strengthen its network and minimise disruptions. 

“We’re continuously working to improve, and I hope that by next summer, things will be better. We’re already planning maintenance and identifying what equipment we need to purchase, and hopefully the chief financial officer can find some funds so I can get what’s necessary to ensure a smoother summer overall,” he added.