By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
THE “incompetence” and “arrogance” of Bahamas Electricity Corporation Executive Chairman Leslie Miller has left the country saddled with “the highest fuel surcharge” it has ever seen, Phenton Neymour, former state minister for the environment, said yesterday.
Mr Neymour told The Tribune if Mr Miller and the Progressive Liberal Party did not “stop, review and cancel” provisions left in place for BEC by the Free National Movement the country would not be experiencing “so many blackouts and such high electricity costs.” He added that the PLP has failed to live up to its campaign promise to lower BEC bills.
Last week, Mr Miller admitted that because of the recent blackouts and load shedding in the capital, BEC customers can expect an increase in their electricity bills. He said because two of the engines at the Clifton Pier Power Station had failed, the Blue Hills Power Plant, which uses more diesel, is running at full capacity, therefore customers can expect to pay as much as 30 cents per kilowatt hour in fuel surcharge.
Yesterday Mr Neymour said if Mr Miller did not cancel the contract for additional generators to be rented during the summer months and did proper maintenance work, the public would not be “overburdened” with frequent blackouts and increased bills.
“The Blue Hills power station is more reliable, however the fuel cost is higher. Clifton is more fuel efficient but requires more maintenance and Mr Miller has not maintained the engines,” Mr Neymour said.
“He should have had an extensive maintenance programme beginning in January 2013 but that didn’t happen. Also those generators require more maintenance which he hasn’t done. Mr Miller said he spent $5million but that is too little for what needs to be done. He also cancelled the generators we had for the summer that reduced the output by 35 per cent and now we are in a blackout because he decided he didn’t want it. We are suffering because Mr Miller decided he did not want to purchase 40 megawatts of power, yet he is saying there is a shortfall.
“Mr Miller and the PLP are to blame, their incompetence is costing the public.”
Mr Neymour said the PLP and Mr Miller promised to lower the cost of electricity and now, two years into their term, electricity bills are the highest they have ever been.
He said: “The fuel surcharge is 30 cents, the highest it has ever been. When cost of fuel was $147 per barrel it still was not that high, even during the oil crisis it was not this bad. This is unbelievable now because of the incompetence of Mr Miller we are paying more money for less power. They stopped, reviewed and cancelled two generators we were purchasing and now we are in trouble. It will get worse before it gets better. This is just another example of how the PLP do not know what they are doing. I suggest they revisit the FNM’s plan and get some pointers.”
Last week, Mr Miller said BEC will continue load shedding across New Providence indefinitely.
Mr Miller told The Tribune four engines, three at Clifton Pier and one at Blue Hills, failed causing a generation shortage of between 40 to 50 megawatts.
Mr Miller said the corporation brought in three specialists from Fort Lauderdale to assess the problems and he has “no idea” when the load shedding will end.
In the meantime, he said, the corporation will continue to load shed across the capital, with large businesses being asked to run their generators to ensure homeowners stay connected.
Comments
PKMShack 9 years, 7 months ago
He as a point but the FNM also kicked the can down the road. Maybe they could of brought at least 1 or 2 new engines during their term
joey 9 years, 7 months ago
Mr Miller is a one man recking crew.How the hell my light bill could go up and my current goes off 15 times a day when do I get a chance to use this fuel ? When oil was $147 a barrel we never payed this much.This is the worst summer ever in the history of the Bahamas.
solejordan 9 years, 7 months ago
why are we not going after the Floating Power Plant which will cost nothing to install and lower the costs?
I know because brainless Christie and his baffons want to keep Wilson and the boys sitting high off the hog. STUPIDITY at it's finest. Look out for the ppl not a certain few
Cobalt 9 years, 7 months ago
All y'all people who complainin, is da same ones who vote in Perry, Leslie Miller, an da rest a deez crooked, do nuttin PLP's. So stop complainin. Ya reap wat ya sow. Deal wit it.
Mayaguana34 9 years, 7 months ago
As much as I think Neymour is an incompetent - Leslie Miller must be given the top prize and is proving himself to be the village idiot on an almost daily basis! We need to privatize this entity, bring in a regulator (URCA),, improve the grid, incentivize renewables and allow independent power producers to come on line - Ken Dorsett has doing nothing with his environment portfolio when there are so many easy opportunities - Next week new energy policy will be released with the same conclusions we made in 1994 SMFT!! Lets fire some people!
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 7 months ago
It's Christie's incompetence we are all paying for...not Miller's! Christie is the root cause of all of BEC's problems today as he alone appointed Miller and he alone is protecting Miller. Miller obviously has some serious explosive dirt on the PM and possibly other cabinet ministers which is bound to become public any day now. Miller is not the type to go down alone...he will take as many others down with him as he possibly can
realfreethinker 9 years, 7 months ago
it amazes me how miller is so incompetent,has a conflict of interest with bec and the pm still re-appoint him as chairman. perry rubbing his arrogance in our faces
Stapedius 9 years, 7 months ago
If Miller has a conflict of interest with BEC then so do we all. Just because his bill might be larger than yours we are judgemental. Any chairman appointed to the board BEC is conflicted as its the only power company in the country. He's not the first person in position to use his position to his advantage and he won't be the last. What annoys me is that the management at BEC never changes in all this. Miller has been chairman for a few years but as far as I can remember we've had power problems for the last 25 years or more. BEC is simply not capable of providing the quality of service necessary for a developing country. We need to stop bickering and making things political. Sell the junk, remove the politics and keep the lights on. A simple solution to a simple problem.
John 9 years, 7 months ago
Bahamians are bearing the cost of government's incompetence everyday. Incteasing national debt and a decreasing standard of living. The fuel surcharge on your electricity bill is only suppose to increase when the cost of fuel increases. The contract with focol needs to be investigsted. And look who name call..snake in da gas err i mean grass
John 9 years, 7 months ago
Bahamians are bearing the cost of government's incompetence everyday. Incteasing national debt and a decreasing standard of living. The fuel surcharge on your electricity bill is only suppose to increase when the cost of fuel increases. The contract with focol needs to be investigsted. And look who name call..snake in da gas err i mean grass
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