National

Works Minister: BPL Dealing With Old Infrastructure

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The works and utilities minister says he doesn’t accept that Bahamas Power and Light have been a disappointment.

Published

1 year ago

June 28, 2023

Berthony McDermott

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – We’re only days into the summer months and there have been frequent power outages. As residents continue to grapple with the issue, the works and utilities minister says he doesn’t accept that Bahamas Power and Light have been a disappointment.

After residents were forced to contend with constant power outages over the past week, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears is defending the power giant, shooting down assertions that BPL has failed the Bahamian people.

Sears says BPL has been dealing with old generators, which isn’t exactly a new issue.

On Tuesday, Bahamas Power and Light confirmed it started load-shedding exercises because of challenges at the two power stations in New Providence.

BPL said that was exacerbated by the unavailability of generation typically provided through a rental agreement.

As a result, 60 megawatts was lost in the past few days, resulting in the shortfall and supply interruptions throughout the weekend.

Meanwhile, Sears admits BPL is facing some challenges.

Over the weekend, consumers were forced to bear with the sweltering heat for, in some instances, up to two hours.

While BPL said it expected to have enough generation to meet the demand, up to Wednesday residents were still experiencing power outages.

The works minister says BPL is undergoing a major transformation.