The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Government was yesterday accused of treating Grand Bahama residents as “puppets” by generating more questions than answers over its announced ambitions to acquire the island’s electricity monopoly.

Darren Cooper, proprietor of D’s Car Rental and a well-known radio talk show, told Tribune Business that the Prime Minister’s disclosure of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Emera, the Canadian energy giant that presently owns 100 percent of Grand Bahama Power Company, was premature given that no final, binding deal for an acquisition.

Asserting that the press conference given by Philip Davis KC was akin to giving residents “false hope, and comparing it to last May’s announcement of the still-to-close Grand Lucayan deal with Concord Wilshire, he argued that the Government has failed to address “the full magnitude” of the problems besetting Grand Bahama and branded the Power Company announcement as “a political stunt”.

“I would say, as a Grand Bahamian, that I think the Government continues to use us as puppets because you have not finalised the agreement,” Mr Cooper told this newspaper of the Emera MoU for GB Power. “You have announced something that is in the preliminary stages which, for me as a Grand Bahamian brings scepticism.

“That you would prematurely announce something and to see the response from Dave McGregor who responds for Emera and GB Power refuting what was said. The Govenrment did not see the need to give us details of what is required. False hope is something that may not happen like the Grand Lucayan.

“If the Government acquires GB Power, what is the price they are buying it at and the Bahamian people will have to pay? Who are going to be the partners? There are so many unanswered questions just like they did with the Grand Lucayan sale,” Mr Cooper added.

“They left us to speculate and try to pull the answers out of the Government that the Government came to Grand Bahama to give. Unacceptable…. This announcement of taking ownership of GB Power is a political stunt because there was nothing meaningful or helpful to guide us on the next way forward for Grand Bahama. The press conference was a waste of time and the people’s money at our expense.”

Dave McGregor, Caribbean chief operating officer for Emera, GB Power's 100 percent owner, in a letter to the utility’s staff issued within hours of Mr Davis announcement, made clear that both local and Bahamian management were blindsided and caught unawares by the Prime Minister’s disclosure.

He indicated that, from Emera and GB Power’s perspective, Mr Davis’ address was premature because - while there is “a possible option” for the Government to acquire the utility - “no final agreement” has been reached or sealed.

The Prime Minister, who signalled that, in the Government’s eyes the purchase is due to close in 60-90 days, yesterday insisted in the House of Assembly that the GB Power deal will be completed. However, that will require agreement from Emera, which is unlikely to be happy that Mr Davis effectively ‘jumped the gun’ because it is a publicly-traded company listed in both Canada and the US.

“I realise this news came as a surprise,” Mr McGregor told GB Power staff. “I want to acknowledge that hearing this via a press conference from the Prime Minister is far from ideal for our valued employees. Our overwhelming preference was to ensure we could complete a transaction before any information was shared, but the Prime Minister felt the news could not wait.”

This signals that Mr Davis likely wanted to make a major announcement to potentially distract attention from the lack of detail provided on progress in closing the Grand Lucayan deal. Mr McGregor said Emera and the Government have “mutual goals” over ensuring Grand Bahama has access to reliable electricity that is affordable.

“This has always been Emera’s priority, and we have indeed been in discussions with the Government on how best to accomplish this together,” he added. “This does include a possible option for the Government to purchase the Grand Bahama Power Company.

“While the discussions are active and have been productive, there is no final agreement at this time.” Mr McGregor acknowledged that “a potential change of ownership can feel unnerving and potentially distracting”, and urged GB Power staff to focus on safety, their customers and doing their jobs.

Mr McGregor declined to comment further in a messaged reply to Tribune Business, and Emera’s own statement repeated his message to staff, adding: “For now, it is business as usual.”

The Prime Minister justified the GB Power purchase on the basis that it would align electricity rates in Grand Bahama with the rest of The Bahamas and help lead to a unified energy sector policy for the entire country. He hinted that it would lead to cheaper energy prices and costs in Grand Bahama, but the island’s electricity rates have not always been more expensive than Bahamas Power & Light (BPL).

Grand Bahama residents, meanwhile, continued to voice misgivings about the Government acquiring their island’s privately-owned energy provider given its less-than-stellar track record in managing/owning BPL and supplying electricity to the rest of The Bahamas.

Joe Darville, the Save the Bays environmental advocate and Grand Bahama resident, told Tribune Business he was “totally, totally surprised” by the Government’s ambitions to acquire GB Power. “I would like to see more details on the purchase and what the benefits will be for residents of Grand Bahama,” he added.

“We have become accustomed to regular power. I would say that the Government has got to assure us, and they’re talking about the cost factor which I can appreciate, because it costs more here, but at the same time we’re accustomed to the fact we’ll get power. The Government, in taking over that company, has got to do better than they’ve been doing in Nassau and the Family Islands because we’re used to getting power unless something extraordinary happens.

“We have got to be guaranteed, not only the residents but businesses, that we will get regular power much more than they do in New Providence,” Mr Darville said. “I have apprehension, but need the Government to come out and give assurances as to why they are taking over the Power Company and what benefit that will be to the people of Grand Bahama and if they will be able to invest in power generation.

“I await more specifics and details on it, but at the present time I have trepidation about that. Definitely.” In fact, BPL’s reliability on New Providence - unlike Eleuthera and other Family Islands - has improved over the past year, which is likely at least partially due to the outsourcing of the island’s grid infrastructure to Bahamas Grid Company.

And, at the same time, GB Power’s reliabilty deteriorated in 2024 and 2025 to such an exent that the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) declined to approve its three-year tariff application through 2027 and suspended consideration of it.

Michael Pintard, the Opposition’s leader, yesterday alluded to GB Power’s recent struggles but said there was nothing in the Davis administration’s management and stewardship of BPL to suggest it would fare better than Emera. “The Government has a record of failure around BPL in multiple places in The Bahamas, which does not give us confidence in Grand Bahama that they will do a better job,” he told Tribune Business.

“Just ask the residents of Eleuthera and MICAL. Multiple islands face systemic problems and government interference that gives us pause that the Government is seeking to buy GB Power. They do not offer a pathway for more consistent electricity supply, for cleaner energy supply, and cheaper energy supply. Not in price, not in consistency, not in cleanliness. We do not see a pathway.”