The Tribune

By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS in Love Beach and several upscale western New Providence communities say prolonged and recurring power outages have left them exposed to heightened security risks, spoiled food, disrupted work schedules and mounting repair costs.

Many are questioning whether Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) is being transparent about the cause of the recurring disruptions, with the concerns erupting after multiple outages hit Love Beach, Old Fort Bay and other nearby communities - including one that residents said lasted around 24 hours and another that stretched across two nights and a day.

Several residents, who requested anonymity, told Tribune Business the extended outages have gone far beyond the short periods of load shedding they have become accustomed to.

“This ain’t the usual load shedding where power’s off for one or two hours,” one resident said. “We’re the kings of that. Last year we got hit all the time. But what’s going on now, this is something else.”

The resident described the situation as “total chaos”, and said the prolonged outages had left communities vulnerable to crime and property damage. “Our gates are kept open. We got people checking our cars at night in our parking lot,” he said. “All kinds of stuff bust loose.”

The resident alleged that three men broke into a condominium unit at Columbus Cove during one outage, and argued that the loss of power contributed to weakened security. “People broke in last night. People broke into a condo at Columbus Cove,” he said. “Was it related to the power? I think so. I don’t care what anybody says. It was definitely related.”

He added that another community gate failed during the outage and was struck by a taxi, creating additional repair expenses. Residents said the outages have also resulted in significant financial losses through spoiled food and disrupted routines.

“Nobody’s getting any sleep. No AC, all the stuff in the fridge is ruined,” the resident said. He said he delayed opening his refrigerator in an effort to preserve food but ultimately lost those items anyway.

“I’ve got food that needs refrigerating, still sitting on the floor from yesterday, because I didn’t want to open the fridge and let the cold air out,” he said. “Twenty-four hours later, that stuff spoiled.”

Another resident and community representative for one of the affected developments said at least three residential communities along the Love Beach corridor were impacted by the outages.

“I don’t think BPL is really being open with us about what the issue really is,” she said. “It is painful, and it’s 24 hours.” Beyond the inconvenience, she said residents have been forced to absorb additional costs from damaged security infrastructure as gates lost power and back-up systems became exhausted.

“Last night we had someone just try to bump the gate open,” she said. “The gate is now broken, and our security now is compromised. There’s a cost to put it back.”

The outages have proven especially difficult for elderly residents and those requiring specialised care. The resident cited the challenges faced by her 98 year-old mother, explaining that she was unable to use electrical appliances needed to prepare meals for her.

“I have to blend my mother’s food,” she said. “She’s 98 and so I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t leave to go and get her food. So I managed to get somebody to get her some soup.”

Residents also said the outages have increasingly affected remote workers, with Internet services and back-up systems failing long before power is restored.

“People who work from home are challenged because the Internet runs out during an outage,” she said. “The backup for Internet doesn’t last as long as the outage, so you lose Internet connectivity and have to find somewhere else to continue working.”

While acknowledging that short outages are a reality for the communities, residents argued that the duration and frequency of recent disruptions are raising broader concerns about the reliability of western New Providence’s electricity infrastructure.

“The problem is the extended nature, and I’m going to say the frequency, because twice in one month,” the resident said. “What is going on?”

Another resident echoed those concerns, saying he had lived in The Bahamas for decades and could not recall outages of similar duration becoming so common.

“There’s something bad going on here,” he said. “I’ve been around since the Pindling days, and not even the Pindling days were this bad.”

Residents also expressed frustration over what they described as limited communication regarding the root cause of outages and realistic restoration timelines.

“We don’t get any, ‘This generator broke down’,” one resident said. “We’re not getting anything. No contact. Just, ‘This is going to be out. Sorry, we can’t tell you what time it’ll be back on’.”

When contacted for a response to residents’ concerns, BPL referred Tribune Business to its Whats App communications channel.

Updates posted there showed that a major outage affecting western New Providence on April 17 was linked to a suspected blown circuit breaker and busbar damage, which resulted in widespread power losses across communities including West Winds, Gambier, Sandyport, Sea Beach, Turnberry, Tropical Gardens and surrounding areas.

BPL later advised that an operational fault at the Windsor Field substation had contributed to the extended outage and restoration efforts were being led by Bahamas Grid Company (BGC).

The utility initially projected restoration by 3.30am on April 18, but subsequently acknowledged that the target had not been met and that repairs were continuing into the morning.

On May 28, BPL reported another outage affecting West Winds, Tropical Gardens, Old Fort Bay, Jacaranda and surrounding areas. The utility said technicians were investigating the cause but did not provide an estimated restoration timeline. On May 29, BPL advised that power had been fully restored to all consumers in western New Providence.

For residents along the Love Beach corridor, however, restoration alone is not enough. They say the latest outages have highlighted the financial and security costs associated with prolonged power interruptions and underscored the need for greater transparency on the state of the island’s electricity network.

“Everybody can get through two hours and four hours and roll through that,” one resident said. “But this is severe.”