The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of Little Grand Cay face a further setback in the restoration of electricity as repairs to a replacement rental generator have been delayed until the end of the week.

Bahamas Power and Light said the rental generation company has advised that repairs to the replacement unit have been delayed, pushing the estimated completion date to Friday, August 21.

According to an update issued yesterday by BPL, plans are already in place to ship the unit from Grand Bahama to Little Grand Cay as soon as repairs are completed.

BPL apologised to customers for the inconvenience and thanked them for their continued patience as crews await the arrival of the rental generation unit.

The latest delay comes as a blow to residents who have endured difficult conditions since August 5, without electricity, phone service or running water because of an island-wide outage caused by a generator failure. Before the outage, the island had also experienced frequent load shedding.

The prolonged outage has forced residents to rely on portable generators, spending hundreds of dollars on fuel.

One resident estimated spending nearly $90 a day on fuel as a result of the outage.

Residents are also questioning whether they will be reimbursed or receive credits on their electricity bills for money spent on fuel.

North Abaco MP Kirk Cornish said the government had sent two new generators to Little Grand Cay, but both subsequently developed problems.

“We've already taken one out of service because that generator had some issues. We have now engaged the one from Walker's Cay that was there, and that has some issues, and now we are sending one from Grand Bahama.

“So, no effort has been spared. We are trying to address the issue as best as we can,” Mr Cornish said.

The North Abaco MP said he continues to provide updates to constituents through a WhatsApp group.

“I sent a voice note that I'm fully aware and we are fully working on it and we continue to face the challenges,” Mr Cornish said.

He also pointed to the number of generators sent to Little Grand Cay in recent years as evidence of the government's efforts to address the island's electricity problems.

“In less than five years, at least four or five different generators have been sent to Grand Cay,” he said.

Mr Cornish said the government had also addressed what he described as a longstanding financial burden on the community.

He said residents had previously been instructed by a former administration to use utility services without paying their bills, resulting in arrears of more than $500,000.

“As a matter of fact, I'm a part of the government that recognizes how Grand Cay was disenfranchised when they were told by a former administration to use the utility services without collecting their funds, and the bills just accumulated over $500,000 plus. We came in and recognized that it was unfair, and we exempted that bill for them,” he said. “I care about those people.”

Asked about residents' calls for reimbursement for fuel expenses incurred while using generators during the current outage, Mr Cornish said he did not control that aspect.

“I do not control that,” he said.

Residents have reported spending between $90 and $100 a day on fuel and said they hoped the government would reimburse them.

Mr Cornish said residents had the right to make that request.

“I feel like they have the right to do what they want. They feel like they should be reimbursed; they have every right to feel that,” he said.

The latest delay in restoring power has added to ongoing concerns among Little Grand Cay residents about the reliability of the island's electricity supply.

BPL said further updates would be provided as information becomes available on the repairs and shipment of the replacement generator.