#Nassau, August 19, 2019 – Bahamas – Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis toured the Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) Clifton Pier and Baillou Hills generation plants on Sunday 18 August 2019.
During
the tour the Prime Minister was briefed by BPL CEO Mr. Whitney Heastie and the
Minister of Public Works Hon. Desmond Bannister on the progress of work being
carried out to return consistent power to the residents of New Providence.
Prime
Minister Minnis was able to see the fleet of new generators that are part of
the new 132-megawatt plant, now in progress, and engines that are in the
process of being returned to full service.
“To
the energy community, this may not fit the definition of crisis but for Bahamian
families that can’t cook breakfast, fill their gas tanks, buy groceries or even
charge a cell phone, this is a crisis,” said Prime Minister Minnis.
“I
understand the pain, I understand your anger and I understand the deep frustration
of Bahamians throughout New Providence.”
The
Prime Minister strongly re-emphasized that BPL is doing all it can to fix the
problems long-term, and is currently aggressively executing a plan to mitigate
the shortfall in generation to ensure relief is provided to residents as soon
as possible.
Prime
Minister Minnis reiterated that the Government is committed to doing whatever
is necessary to alleviate this problem.
BPL
is working to address the serious load shedding issues and has started to
release a Daily Fact Sheet in its ongoing effort to better communicate the
extent of the problems and the work being carried out to return the system to
normal.
The
daily report details the day’s outcomes and provides updates on anticipated
issues and progress for the following day.
BPL will continue to notify the public as additional generating capacity is operational.
Photo Caption:Prime Minister the Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis toured the Clifton Pier and Baillou Hills power stations on Sunday 18 August 2019.
(BIS Photos/Yontalay Bowe)
Press Release: Office of the Prime Minister