The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in Andros are expected to receive more reliable and sustainable energy through a $20m power purchase agreement (PPA) signed by the government for the installation of three hybrid power plants on the island.

The agreement was signed yesterday between Andros Renewable Energy Company Limited and Bahamas Power and Light (BPL). The company will develop plants in Nicholl’s Town, Fresh Creek and The Bluff.

The island’s aged diesel generators will be replaced with a hybrid system combining generators fuelled by liquid natural gas (LNG), solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and battery energy storage systems.

The project will provide a total of 7.2 megawatts of capacity — 5.6 megawatts from LNG generation and 1.6 megawatts from solar and battery storage. It is expected to meet growing electricity demand and reduce harmful emissions.

The capital investment exceeds $20m, officials said. BPL will purchase electricity under three separate 25-year power purchase agreements for supply to its customers in Andros.

Energy and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis said the Government executed the PPA between BPL and Andros Renewable Energy Company Limited in 2025.

In July 2023, a fire destroyed all generator units at a BPL station in North Andros, leaving residents scrambling to preserve food and cope without electricity. Another fire in 2025 affected BPL’s power station in Fresh Creek.

Residents have for years complained about frequent outages disrupting their daily lives.

Mrs Coleby-Davis said the agreement represents a transformational partnership with the 100 percent Bahamian-owned company and will provide long-term solutions for power supply.

“These power purchase agreements will last for 25 years, which will stabilise our energy cost and sustain economic growth for decades to come,” she said during the signing at the Office of the Prime Minister.

“At the end of the 25 years, it is a build, own, operate transfer arrangement, and it will be transferred to BPL for their ownership and continued use and maintenance for us in the Davis administration,” she said.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis also stressed families and businesses in Andros have long faced power cuts, unstable supply and uncertainty.

“The three new power stations will give Andros a modern, reliable supply, able to meet what the island needs now and what it will need in the years ahead as Andros grows. We are not only repairing the past. We are preparing for what we believe Andros can become,” Mr Davis said.

He noted his administration has treated energy as a central issue since taking office.

Meanwhile, South and Central Andros MP Leon Lundy and North Andros and Berry Islands MP Leonardo Lightbourne also attended the signing.