Abaco power load ‘insufficient’

Abaco power load ‘insufficient’
Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister. (FILE PHOTO)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) has made phenomenal progress in its restoration efforts on Abaco, according to Minister of Works Desmond Bannister, who noted the power load in Abaco is still ‘insufficient’.

Bannister spoke to reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday,

Most of the cays are on now,” he said.

“Elbow Cay specifically asked us not to do above ground wiring because they have some proposals where they want to do underground wiring. They’re prepared to do work with what they have until such time as they have that.”

He said: “In Marsh Harbour the progress is phenomenal. They have connected the supermarket there and the hotel. They’re going into the community.

“Whatever challenges that have in connecting individual homes has to do with the restoration of those homes.”

Infrastructure in Marsh Harbour and other portions of Abaco was stripped by Hurricane Dorian in early September.

Bannister said: “Before they can connect a home it has to be certified by the Ministry of Public Works. The power load is still not sufficient for us to turn on the main power sources.

“We have 50 megawatt of power we can turn on but the load is not sufficient for that. As they continue to develop BPL is going to be able to reconnect more people.”

4 comments

I doesn’t sound like hes been to Abaco since the hurricane.
There was alot of damage with entire areas devastated ‘ but some entire communities had zero flooding and most of their homes could have been online in September.. Sweeting village for example ‘ %75 of the homes in Sweeting village could have been connected in September if BPL had replaced the lines ‘ I’m told BPL could replace all the damaged infrastructure in here in less than 1 week ‘ but here we are 6 months later and not one pole is up .
The cays have been working non stop since the hurricane to have their homes ready and waiting for when BPL brings electricity to the cays ‘ they were proactive…but as of today BPL hasn’t even replaced the power lines to the ferry dock distribution point much less replaced the underwater wire .

I invite him to come to Abaco and take a tour with our local government members instead making more statements based on second hand information.

Hundreds of homes are ready today ‘ thousands would have been ready if BPL was doing their part .

Six months later and still without power and this is a country which calls its self civilised ! It’s disgraceful, how on earth do they expect to draw back tourists and second home owners to help build the economy and get the Abacos and the Bahamas as a whole back on her feet when the government can’t even deliver the basic necessities such as power and water back on again, I repeat it’s been six months !
From frustrated home owner.

This official’s statements are so far from the truth, it’s laughable. The cays DO NOT have power, except for parts of Green Turtle Cay. Much of Abaco does not have power. It’s unacceptable that six months later homes that can receive power don’t have it. Fuel is expensive to run generators every day. Generators aren’t meant to be a primary source of power and break down and burn out. To add insult to injury people on this island, who have no scruples, still steal generators from their rightful owners.

What about Lubbers Quarters? Nothing mentioned here and that’s an easy one to hook up! No ones been here to check on the transformer yet. Homeowners here are working on getting their certification so they can flip the switch!

Comments are closed.