NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Plans for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shore power facility at Arawak Cay moved further into public view Tuesday night as project developers outlined economic, environmental, and operational details during a public consultation meeting, positioning the initiative as a key infrastructure upgrade for Nassau’s cruise port and the wider energy landscape.
Erold Farquharson, chief executive officer of Island Power Producers Limited, told Eyewitness News the proposed LNG development would transform an undeveloped site at Arawak Cay into a modern energy facility while supporting job creation, emissions reduction, and long-term port competitiveness.
“The site where we’re going to be building this plant is undeveloped,” Farquharson said. “So we’re going to be developing this site and putting on new infrastructure, new buildings and a new plant.”
Farquharson said once operational, the facility is expected to employ between 40 and 50 full-time staff.
“In the long term, it’s going to employ about 40 to 50 full-time operational staff when we start operations in about a year,” he said. “In that aspect, we’ll be developing the area more so than what it is right now, making it more built for use, with efforts to ensure safety.”
Addressing public concerns around safety and environmental impact, Farquharson emphasized that LNG facilities are not new globally and are governed by stringent international standards.
“For a plant like this, which is an LNG plant, these are not new plants worldwide, and they all come with specific fire protection and health management systems, as well as hazardous waste management systems and plans that we have to put in place even before construction starts,” he said.
He added that multiple mitigation measures are being built into the design, including noise reduction systems and advanced safety infrastructure.
“We’re going to have fire protection, and we’re also going to have noise reduction systems in place for our enclosures to minimize the impact that may have on the environment,” Farquharson said.
From an environmental standpoint, Farquharson said the LNG project would significantly reduce emissions compared to existing fuel use at the port.
“Because of the type of fuel that we’re going to be using, we’re going to be reducing emissions to levels much lower than what’s being produced right now by the cruise ships that come into port,” he said.
Farquharson rejected suggestions that the plant would negatively affect tourism, arguing instead that it would enhance Nassau’s appeal as a cruise destination.
“The construction of this plant and the operation of it will not impact tourism,” he said. “In actual fact, what we’re doing will encourage cruise ships to call on Nassau’s port even more.”
He explained that shore power generated from LNG aligns with the cruise industry’s long-term environmental commitments.
“This is going to help the cruise ships meet a mandate they’ve set for themselves by the year 2050 to reach certain emissions targets,” Farquharson said. “By having a shore power supply from LNG systems, that’s going to help them meet the goals they’ve set, which will make Nassau’s port a lot more desirable.”
On the regulatory front, Farquharson said the LNG sector is subject to rigorous oversight, with multiple layers of approval required before operations can begin.
“The main regulations only came on a few years ago, but they are very rigorous in terms of their review of the application process,” he said. “There are about three major regulatory approvals required—to ship LNG, to transport it and to operate the plant with LNG.”
In addition, he noted that the project must meet all licensing requirements related to electricity generation and distribution.
“We have to meet all the licensing concepts required for electrical licences in order to produce electricity, transmit it and distribute that power,” he said.
Once construction begins, Farquharson said the timeline to completion is relatively short.
“From construction to operation, we’re looking at about 12 to 13 months,” he said.
