By MORGAN ADDERLEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
madderley@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Electrical Workers Union President Paul Maynard yesterday said if light bills were "half" of what they are, The Bahamas would have a "new economy".
Speaking during a meeting of the Rotary Club of South East Nassau, Mr Maynard called for the public to pressure the Minnis administration to push electricity reform forward by switching from automatic diesel oil (ADO) to cheaper forms of energy, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and renewable energy.
Last week, Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) Chairman Dr Donovan Moxey confirmed that the state-owned utility's fuel charge is currently 19.5 cents per kilowatt hour (KWh), with Bahamian households and businesses paying an all-in tariff of around 40 cents per KWh.
Mr Maynard said such high electricity costs signal a country in "crisis", adding he is "distressed" by the fact that small businesses and the poor are "suffering under the strain of the light bill."
"I've said to minister after minister, just think: if the light bill was just half of what it was, this would be a new economy," Mr Maynard said. "It absolutely and totally must happen.
"Now, BEC are making missteps, because they have Aggreko…I'm really against Aggreko, because Aggreko are using ADO… So right now, BEC is using 90 percent diesel oil. Thus, your fuel surcharge."
Mr Maynard said the fuel surcharge has been increasing "every month since April". Regarding this, he said: "The public needs to put as much pressure on the government as possible."
Mr Maynard also criticised the 2022 target goal for a Shell plant, as outlined via the signing of a memorandum of understanding between BPL and Shell North America for an integrated LNG gas-to-power project.
"You can't wait for that," Mr Maynard said. "This economy will tank before then."
Mr Maynard claimed he has told officials, including the prime minister: "Shell is now your partner. Shell is the largest distributor of propane and LNG in the world. You need to say to Shell, 'we are in a crisis'.
"And we are in a crisis. Anytime you have in a country where you have mothers deciding (between) feeding their children and paying their electricity bill, that is a crisis…We have women prostituting themselves to make this light bill. And that is terrible.
"Everyone needs to get involved and we need to push back on the special interest groups and we need to push this electricity reform possible. Because our very life and our livelihood in this country depends on it."
Mr Maynard added neighbouring countries such as Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic all use LNG -- noting this makes them more attractive to investors due to cheaper costs.
"At Baker's Bay, they're getting ready to put a LNG plant at Baker's Bay in Abaco," Mr Maynard continued. "Because the world's billionaires decided they're not going to pay BEC's bill anymore. They're going to go ahead and put their own stuff in."
Calling for the government to consider alternative forms of energy, Mr Maynard suggested wind energy could be suitable for islands on the Atlantic coast, such as Eleuthera and Abaco.
He also underscored the benefits of solar energy.
"Yes, (solar energy) does need a lot of land. But we have national parks. We could put the solar around the national parks. Lake Cunningham, Lake Killarney. You could put solar panels around the edge and blend it in with the environment. It's innovative ways that we could use to do these things. But we need to be innovative."
Mr Maynard estimated the Shell negotiations should be completed within three or four months. He added under that form of electricity, LNG, electricity bills should decrease to 17 cents per KWh.
Comments
SP 5 years, 5 months ago
'Women Are Prostituting Themselves To Pay Light Bill'?.....
Somebody talking shyt again because, after weeks of searching, no women were found prostituting themselves to pay light bills!
ohdrap4 5 years, 5 months ago
they probably did it to buy remy, but will put the change towards the light bill
bogart 5 years, 5 months ago
As a UNIONIST....HE ADVOCATING BETTER CONDITIONS FER WORKERS....HE SHOULDBE TALKING ABOUT LEGALIZING THE SEX BUSINESS.....many countries have regulated it for better conditions for all......jus cant have advocating...Marijuana......Illegal Gambling done made legal......time to legalize PROSTITUTION.....let sex workers have...wages.....proper medical screenings....proper job conditions.....protections for themselves....aint no sense knowing sweethearting .....when sex traded for benefits....sometimes seems euphemism fer prostitution in reality........tell any foreigner bout sweethearting...an dey likely to call it prostitution.......going on big time....time to call a spade a spade....Gambling legal....Marijuana looking to be legalizes....sex business ???...looking to smoke pot...gamble.....protections fer them two ....an no laws to regulate and protect prostitutes....an clients.........earning a living...!!!!!
bahamian242 5 years, 5 months ago
Prostituting themselfs that dont make sense! Women always use sex for extra money on all things, Christmas coming! Dont confuse that about electrical bills, its been high since June and this November!
bogart 5 years, 5 months ago
If women wid homes an chillren......are prostituting demselvesp...to pay 'lectrivity....bills.....begs da question .....what are pore wemmen whose homes are done widdout...'lectricity......doing to feed dere chillren.....???..?........
OMG 5 years, 5 months ago
Successive governments have this jungle bunny attitude where they spend every penny like a child with extra money in his pocket who spends it all , and never ever think ahead and invest before infrastructure becomes decrepit and outdated. How often have we seen government buildings/police accommodation fall into disrepair when all they needed was paint and maintenance before wood rotted or roof's leaked. The same applies to electricity generation. Just think if all the VAT money squandered by the previous government had been used to update the power plant, which would have brought power costs down and in itself brought about a more dynamic economy.
John 5 years, 5 months ago
Sexual favors for financial assistance maybe, but prostitution? And this is a wake up call to all Bahamians. No not The prostitution claim, but the fact that the quality of life for the average Bahamian has eroded steadily since 2008. And despite the many sacrifices, many hare still finding it difficult to make ends meet. And unfortunately things have not yet hit the bottom. With the continued pressure on businesses by government and the increases in the cost of doing business, many businesses will have to increase their prices. Others will have to close. Just hope this country doesn’t get to the point of not women selling their bodies to pay utility bills, but going into food stores to find empty shelves or having to fight another for the last package of something. It has already happened in many countries around the world, and some not too far from The Bahamas. Perilous times will come.
John 5 years, 5 months ago
The price of oil has fallen 20 percent in the last five weeks. The demand for oil is decreasing. And OPEC is worried. Is this an indication that the world economy is slowing or the shift to alternative fuels is growing? OPEC would normally cut back production to maintain the price of oil but even with Iranian oil being blocked off the market the price continues to fall. Some projoit will hit a low of $40 within weeks. And this will be the first time OPEC cutting back on production will not maintain the price of oil because there is now ay abaundant supply of alternative and renewable energy. And if the economy is slowing that will make a greater consumer market for fuel. So by January/February the50-65% increases in BPL bills should disappear.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 5 months ago
Crude oil prices on the world market go down .......... but gas/diesel prices do not really reflect that in our country ........... and it is nothing to do with delayed delivery either.
John 5 years, 5 months ago
Gas prices have already dropped at local pumps by 20 cents this week alone.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 5 months ago
On the Out Islands, we sure do not see any change ........ places still paying $7.00 a gallon and more from 55 gallon drums.
joeblow 5 years, 5 months ago
It would be interesting to find out how he knows this.
Secondly, any woman prostituting herself to pay electricity bills is probably used to doing it to buy their weaves, get their nails done and buy groceries and minutes for their phone!
Well_mudda_take_sic 5 years, 5 months ago
He (Maynard) should know.
sealice 5 years, 5 months ago
We've been in an electricity crisis for as long as we have been an independent country... that and corrupt wapless gubmints for our entire history = it's only better in the Bahamas if you don't actually live here!!
Socrates 5 years, 5 months ago
A lot of this cost issue is actually due to socialist policies. Gov't took a decision decades ago that all bahamians should have access to electricity.. good idea. However the method you have to disagree with.. BEC provide the power infrastructure, etc., then let ALL bahamians pay for it not just the users? There must be a better, more efficient way. Asking a Nassau businessman or resident to pay more for light so a guy in Rum Cay or Ragged Island can have electricity hurts everyone. If you choose to live off the grid as they say, you need to understand what that means. Yes those folks see a better lifestyle with this socialist policy, but the entire country suffers as a result. In the final analysis, it is unsustainable.
sheeprunner12 5 years, 5 months ago
OK ............ what does it cost to generate BPL electricity on each island .... Andros, Exuma, Eleuthera, Inagua etc ............ Let the people know what is really creating the high cost of BPL across the country ......... The explanation from the BPL bosses is always so vague ........... Who is stealing the most diesel??? ......... Who is making the most "overtime"??? ...........Who is wasting the most transmission power or not maintaining their engines??? ............ Which island customers are not paying their bills????
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