BPL to disconnect delinquent Family Island consumers

BPL to disconnect delinquent Family Island consumers

Disconnections will start with the MICAL constituency

 

In just a matter of weeks, it could be lights out for Family Island residents who have delinquent accounts at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), according to Dr. Donovan Moxey, Chairman of  BPL.

Dr. Moxey told Eyewitness News Online that as of March 15, all BPL consumers in the Family Islands, who have been avoiding their monthly payments to the power company, will find themselves off the grid.

Disconnections will start with the MICAL constituency, Dr. Moxey confirmed.

“From a policy standpoint everyone has been informed that any account that is 60 days past due, with a balance of $300 dollars are more are subject to being disconnected,” Dr. Moxey said.

Hundreds of Family Island BPL consumers are said to be in arrears which means that the company is short hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Dr. Moxey said BPL refuses to let Family Island consumers negligently run their electricity bills into the thousands.

“For us that is detrimental to BPL and also the customer. So, what we are trying to do is bring some structure around our policy as it relates to payment of bills and as it relates to disconnection exercises,” Dr. Moxey explained.

Moving forward, Dr. Moxey said the company will be working toward ensuring that all BPL consumers understand what is expected from them when it comes to meeting their monthly utility bill obligations.

“What we’re looking to do is make sure the public understands what BPL’s policy is and everybody does the best they can to adhere to that policy. We are also working on options for our customers to be able to better pay their bills as well. We want a comprehensive strategy to ensure that this happens,” he said.

While disconnections will begin in MICAL, Dr. Moxey revealed that Exuma and Ragged Island are also on the line-up for disconnection exercises as well.

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.