EDITOR, The Tribune
I AM amazed that so many residents of New Providence are surprised that Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) had a poor response to Hurricane Matthew.
BPL is the new company formed in the “evolution” of our power sector. But it is no different than the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) was.
It doesn’t have any money. It cannot keep the electricity on. It is not good at responding to crises.
Matthew grew to being a category 4 storm as it passed over New Providence. It also hit Andros, the Berry Islands and Grand Bahama. New Providence and Grand Bahama are the most developed Bahamian islands, so they got the most infrastructure damage. Grand Bahama has its own private power company. It falls on BPL to fix New Providence.
It is nearing two weeks now that significant parts of New Providence have been without power. And it is looking like the two-week mark will come and those people will still be in darkness. When will they get light? Well, early last week the BEC union president said two weeks, so looks like there is more hardship to come.
We have heard BPL doesn’t have enough trucks. We have heard BPL did not follow its hurricane response plan. We have heard BPL was slow in general to mobilise workers after the hurricane. None of this should surprise any Bahamian. Our energy supplier has been a collapsed disgrace for years. Perry Christie and his crew were supposed to do something about this and they have done nothing.
What is sad about this is we, the people, face the consequence of the government’s lousiness. BPL needs proper leadership and a whole new plant and systems if we are to move out of the 20th century and in to the 21st.
If you have money, invest in a generator. It’s every man for himself out here. Don’t count on BPL.
MARTHA S GREENE
Nassau
October 16, 2016
Comments
alfalfa 7 years, 6 months ago
Don't forget, after Brave promised that BPL would reduce our electricity costs by 40%, they increased the fuel surcharge last month but told us that it was not a rate increase, so don't worry if your light bill goes up. This company is a farce and just today they bring in trucks and help from the US when they had the capabilities to do this since right after the storm. We continue to beat the same drum with our electrical woes in the country and all Governments talk BS about a resolution to this problem. So, buy a generator, invest in solar, or get ready for more of the same.
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