NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) move to delay $15 million in maintenance overhauls beyond this summer was described as an “emergency room decision” by Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Kyle Wilson, who noted that to do so at this time would have further reduced the company’s generation capacity heading into its peak demand period.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Wilson lauded BPL executives for making the decision noting: “It was a quick decision.
“It was an emergency room decision to stabilize the patient- BPL and then treat the problem.
“Summer is here. To undertake maintenance at this time would have taken out 50MW to 80MW of generation capacity for two to three months for overhaul and several million dollars in parts and services.
“It seems they decided to just get through the summer with the help of the rental units and deal with maintenance in the cooler, less demanding months.”
Still, Wilson acknowledged that the company is in dire need of upgrades to its transmission and distribution network.
“Even with the rental units being added to meet the summer demand, you have to ensure that the power being produced is not wasted; that the distribution lines are shored up, transformers maintained, lightning arrestors shored up and any suspect poles are addressed.
“There are some things that can and must be done nonetheless.”
Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said during his budget contribution earlier this week that Bahamas Power & Light’s (BPL) “contingency plan” for the peak summer period will see 83 MW of rental generation added to the company’s generation supply.
He noted that maintenance was delayed to help BPL manage cash, while acknowledging that a blackout-free summer for New Providence could not be guaranteed.
He explained that BPL’s generation capacity of 241.1 Mega Watts (MW) cannot cover the island’s projected peak summer demand and thus the company was left with no choice but to contract with Aggreko and Sun Utilities, for the provision of a combined 83 MW in rental generation.
While BPL’s $95m acquisition of 140 MW in new generation capacity from Wartsila in 2019 was billed as the solution to its New Providence generation woes, Wilson noted, “With all the millions that were spent, we still have to secure rental generation for an island this small.
“I think the acquisition was well-intentioned, but [it] didn’t really turn out to be the best for the Bahamian people.
“I think we should have done serious maintenance on BPL’s existing assets first.”
Wilson agreed that while a summer without power disruptions could not be guaranteed, from what he has seen, the company is working hard to ensure it is in the best position to deal with summer demand.
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