The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light has credited Grand Cay customers for their latest electricity charges after the community endured three weeks without regular power before electricity was restored on Wednesday night.

BPL said it would expedite plans for a more resilient generation system on the cay, following weeks of delays involving repairs and the shipment of a replacement generator.

The company confirmed that electricity was restored shortly after 8pm on August 26.

The prolonged outage forced some residents to depend on portable generators at considerable personal expense and also affected water and telephone services.

Little Grand Cay resident Craig Cephas, who had previously called for BPL to reimburse or credit residents for some of their fuel costs, said the company has now covered the latest charges on his electricity account.

Mr Cephas said he had an outstanding balance of about $843 and new charges of nearly $600. BPL, he said, paid the new charges but left the previous balance outstanding.

Although the credit did not come close to covering what he spent keeping a portable generator running, he welcomed the move.

“I mean it's something,” he said. “It ain't as much as the amount of money I spent, but at least show like they care.”

He said he had not expected BPL to reimburse residents for everything they spent on fuel but was pleased the company had offered some relief.

He estimated that he spent about $90 a day on fuel during the three-week outage — roughly $1,890.

“That is money I don't have; it's gone,” he said.

The restoration has brought a return to normal life for residents who had spent weeks coping without regular electricity.

“You know what it means to be in your home with the AC on; it's more peaceful, and it's not as frustrating,” Mr Cephas said. “It's a big difference to what we've gone through on this island in the last three weeks.”

He said residents were also relieved to have water and telephone services restored after they were affected during the outage.

“To be honest, everybody is happy,” Mr Cephas said.

Electricity was briefly interrupted again Thursday morning for about an hour, which he said was a scheduled shutdown while BPL crews carried out checks.

BPL Northern Regional Manager Marvin Green acknowledged the frustration caused by the outage and said the company’s attention is now turning to the reliability of Grand Cay’s electricity supply.

BPL has been developing a longer-term generation solution for Little Grand Cay over the past two years, according to Mr Green. The project is intended to increase generation capacity, provide adequate backup power and improve security of supply.

BPL also plans to visit Little Grand Cay to meet residents, hear their concerns and provide updates on plans to improve generation and reliability.

Residents who believe appliances or other electrical equipment were damaged by power-related problems will be able to submit Customer Damage Claim Forms during the visit for consideration under BPL’s existing claims process.

The company said it recognises the hardship caused by extended electricity outages, particularly in Family Island communities, and thanked residents for their patience while crews worked to restore the supply.