NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) Chief Executive Officer Toni Pratt has apologized to residents of New Providence for Sunday’s prolonged island-wide power outage, saying the disruption was caused by an explosion at the Blue Hills Power Station.
“We at BPL would like to apologize to all of the residents in New Providence who were impacted by the prolonged outage on Sunday,” Pratt said. “We understand how a prolonged outage can be disruptive to your day-to-day lives, and we are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused.”
According to Pratt, the incident occurred shortly after 10:00 a.m. on Sunday when an explosion damaged the 33 KV switchgear at the Blue Hills Power Station.
She explained that the switchgear serves as the export point for electricity generated at the Blue Hills plant, sending power to surrounding communities. The explosion damaged the bus bar, preventing electricity from being exported until the affected section could be safely isolated.
Pratt said BPL crews had to first ensure the area was safe before beginning inspections and repairs.
“Once it was deemed safe for the teams to go in and do their inspections to figure out exactly what happened and the extent of the damages, then we were able to start our repairs,” she said.
She noted that a fault of this magnitude takes an exceptionally long time to restore, which contributed to the widespread outage experienced across New Providence.
After crews isolated the damaged section of the bus bar and restored part of the system, BPL was able to resume exporting power from the Blue Hills Power Station to surrounding communities.
Pratt also revealed that the incident resulted in the loss of some generation at the Clifton Pier Power Station. However, she said those areas were able to remain online because the fault was isolated at the Blue Hills Power Station.
Acknowledging the frustration experienced by residents, Pratt said BPL understands the challenges caused by being without electricity for an extended period.
“We know it’s uncomfortable. We know it’s disruptive. Everyone had plans for their Sunday, and we empathize with you,” Pratt said. “We understand the challenges, but we remain committed to providing the best service we possibly can.”
Pratt also advised customers who may still be experiencing power outages to contact BPL to report them, noting that any remaining outages are unrelated to Sunday’s widespread incident and may instead be the result of isolated issues requiring separate repairs.
