Family Isl. Plagued With Power Outages, Fmr. PM Defends Energy Minister

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THE BAHAMAS – Dark nights and hot summer days have become the reality for thousands of residents across The Bahamas, not just in New Providence, but on the Family Islands as well.

While many islands have been dealing with ongoing power challenges, Long Island unexpectedly found itself on that list.

On Monday, parts of the island were placed on a rotational power schedule because of increased electricity demand.

A notice from Bahamas Power and Light outlined load shedding across several settlements, with rotating outages scheduled between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

It came just one day after an island-wide outage at around 2:50 Sunday morning, which BPL says was caused by a fire. Power was restored a short time later.

We spoke with Long Island Administrator Jandille Archer, who says both incidents were isolated and not reflective of the island’s normal experience. S

He says Long Island does not typically face recurring power problems and was disappointed the outages made headlines after just one day.

But the story is different on some other islands.

Residents in San Salvador, who asked to remain anonymous, reached out saying they continue to deal with frequent load shedding and unplanned outages.

And in Eleuthera, many residents say power interruptions have become a way of life. Just yesterday and again this morning, outages were reported in communities including Windermere and Governor’s Harbour.

As frustration grows, many are pointing the finger at Energy Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis, who previously maintained that BPL was prepared to meet summer demands.

But in an unexpected twist, former Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis is coming to her defense, saying the minister should not be blamed and arguing that she listened to the concerns of the Bahamian people.

Dr. Hubert Minnis – Former Prime Minister

“She demonstrates clearly that she was defending the people. She went beyond politics. Yes, a party may give us some challenges or problems, but the point is when you are elected to Parliament, you are elected to defend and support the people.”

Dr. Hubert Minnis – Former Prime Minister

“Now, whether the technocrat gave her the right information, that’s the question. She’s not a technocrat, so as a technocrat, you could come and tell me that everything is ready. I’ve had those experiences. I got in front of cameras, in front of the public, and said everything is ready, and then as soon as I leave, somebody else would say, ‘Prime Minister, you know that’s not the case.’ I would say, ‘What do you mean that’s not the case? They told me it’s ready.’”