Bahamian Activist provides alternative means to prevent BPL power outages

Bahamian Activist provides alternative means to prevent BPL power outages

The constant power outages occurring due to Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) many mechanical issues have sparked the conversation of energy security among Bahamians.

On the heels of an eleven-hour power outage in the southwest part of New Providence, Monday night, Bahamian Activist and Beyond The Headlines contributor Graham Weatherford offered alternative means the country can benefit from.

Weatherford suggested that the government is ignoring the obvious of better energy alternative and rather sign an agreement which is truly not in the benefit to citizens.

“Instead of another fuel company in The Bahamas, we (the government) needs to fix energy security for the Bahamian people,” Weatherford said during his appearance on Beyond The Headlines Tuesday.

During his live feed on Facebook which opened the show’s discussion, Weatherford detailed how Bahamians can protest digitally through the Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority (URCA) just by sharing his video.

“I’m going to show you the power of social media … if you share this video, you are going to ask URCA, the regulator to prosecute and to give you money for the misery you suffered last night (Monday night),” he explained.

“We (the Bahamian people) don’t want to be compensated with two cents of no electricity, no sir, you suffered damages and you want to be paid for what you went through.

“We demand by sharing this video URCA to be compensated at best practices globally.”

Summertime in The Bahamas has proved to increase one’s utility bill without reason.

Bahamians are increasing vocalizing their disdain toward the country’s power company stating that their usage during the summer months is not that much of a difference than their usage during the remainder of the year.

“A lady said her energy bill is higher in August than her mortgage, something is wrong with that. I don’t care how much air condition you consume, we cannot live like that,” host Clint Watson lamented yesterday.

The generators are constantly load sharing contributing to outages inclusive of maintenance of the power plants.

Weatherford drew an illustration that former Tall Pines Member of Parliament pointed out, indicating that the BPL’s generators are not sufficient in size to service the entire island effectively.

“I look at it as, what if the generators are too big for our needs?” he asked.

“If you look at a split air condition system – 9000BTU, you can have one here and one over there. They look the same, but one is $300 but it uses fuel and electricity like an F-150 that cost hundreds of dollars a month to turn on.

“You have the other one and it uses fuel like a Honda and it’s $20 a month that burns like a ceiling fan.”

The difference between the two examples is that one costs $300 and the other costs $1,000.

Based on the charges Bahamians are billed, Weatherford stressed, “why would we (the government) not make the one that is more efficient, that uses less fuel or less electricity five per cent duty and make the other one 100 per cent duty.

“Let’s make it affordable for the high-efficiency appliances where Bahamians across the board where not only the rich can afford, but all Bahamians would be able to… you are not only keeping electricity down, you’re using less generators.”