Abaco and Eleuthera Sound Alarm Over Power Woes

smb('loadExternalVideo', 'watch', 'https://player.vimeo.com/external/1203622931.m3u8?s=9a0053a0b9356fc68c1fe9c86c259423387168df&logging=false', 740, 416, 'my_frame', 0);

THE BAHAMAS – With summer temperatures soaring, frustration is growing among residents across The Bahamas who say frequent power outages are making daily life increasingly difficult.

Over the weekend, communities in New Providence, Abaco and Eleuthera experienced extensive interruptions, leaving many demanding long-term solutions.

Our Delvardo Emmanuel has the story.

Power outages rocked islands across The Bahamas over the weekend, leaving residents frustrated as high summer temperatures set in.

On New Providence, the implementation of load shedding led to outages in several communities.

On Friday, BPL cited the installation of a new transformer at the Fire Trail Substation as it announced the start of load-shedding exercises.

Affected areas included Fire Trail Road West, Venice Bay Subdivision, Pine Barren Development Ltd., Corky Holdings, Bristol Cellars, Atavus Group Ltd. and EML Holding, which were scheduled to be off from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

But the power woes were not limited to New Providence.

On islands like Abaco and Eleuthera, residents also experienced extensive outages.

Abaco Administrator Steven Wilson says while residents understand upgrades are necessary, the frequency of the interruptions has become a major concern.

Steven Wilson – Administrator, Abaco

“We understand that there are upgrades happening and, in some instances, we have some very old infrastructure that the government is certainly trying to improve. But businesses depend heavily on electricity, and where there’s a lack of it, there is a serious problem.”

Meanwhile, over in Eleuthera, one business owner who asked not to be identified says the problem has extended far beyond the weekend.

Anonymous Resident – Eleuthera

“This has been occurring for most of this calendar year. We’ve been experiencing this. In the last month, we’ve had to deal with multiple power outages daily, seven days a week, and most nights.”

The businessman says some outages have lasted as long as 12 hours, while others average between three and four hours.

He says the impact on businesses has been significant, making it difficult to serve customers, process transactions and maintain normal operations.

Anonymous Resident – Eleuthera

“You want to keep your customers as comfortable as possible, but you’re working inside an establishment with limited lighting. Computer systems are down, internet is down, and you’re not able to process your daily work.”

On Friday evening, BPL noted that load shedding might need to be implemented.

Areas in northern Long Island, from Stella Maris to Seymours, experienced a power outage that night, with supply restored before 10 p.m.

Great Harbour Cay also experienced an outage on Friday morning to allow for emergency generator repairs.