The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement leader Michael Pintard pressed Transport and Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby Davis about Bahamas Power & Light matters during a rare question and answer period in the House of Assembly yesterday.

The questions concerned BPL arrears and loans and contracts awarded for software at the port department.

When asked to give a breakdown of monies owed by BPL, Mrs Coleby-Davis said she was confused by the question.

“I’m uncertain whether the question pertains to monies owed by Bahamas Power and Light or to monies that are due to BPL,” she said.

Mr Pintard said the government had publicly spoken about BPL’s bills and pledged to provide her with the information needed to answer in the future.

He also asked about the cause of a fire that damaged a BPL power station in North Andros last year and prevention measures.

“Investigations into the fire incident at the North Andros power plan is an ongoing matter with police authorities,” the minister responded. “Based on the preliminary findings, it appears that fire was initiated by a catastrophic failure of one of the power plant units.

“This failure led to the emission of high-temperature degrees which subsequently ignited a nearby source of highly inflammable fuel, causing the fire to rapidly spread throughout the facility.”

She said established protocols for risk mitigation have been applied at BPL operations and are reviewed annually.

When asked about the terms of a $110m loan granted to BPL, the minister said the government granted the loan to address the under-recovery of fuel costs incurred during the pandemic.

“The specifics of this loan, including the terms and interest rates, are in the process of being finalised,” she said. “During the pandemic, to alleviate financial strain on our customers, BPL charged a reduced rate for fuel costs, absorbing the difference and deferring essential capital projects.”

“Subsequently, through a glide pass through recovery strategy, we have been able to recover a significant portion of the unrecovered amount, allowing us to resume and fund critical infrastructure project.”

In response, Mr Pintard asked if it was customary for the government to give a loan to BPL without working out the loan terms. Mrs Coleby-Davis deferred, saying she would answer later.

Mr Pintard asked if the minister would “acknowledge that the loan provided to BPL must be accounted for within the approved budgetary appropriations authorised by Parliament as required by the Public Debt Management Act and their constitution”.

The minister replied that matters related to the accounting and budgetary appropriations of the loan fall under the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Pintard then directed the question to Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, who has ministerial responsibility for the finance ministry.

However, House Speaker Patricia Deveaux said the question would have to be placed on the table for future notice.

Mr Pinatrd also asked about contracts worth millions awarded to DigieSoft for software development at the Port Department and to the Adolpha Maritime Group for the maintenance of navigational aid.

This comes after a senior civil servant alleged that the maritime contracts were executed “negligently, unlawfully and maliciously” in contravention of public service rules.

Mrs Coleby-Davis said information on the contracts was discussed in detail during the budget debate and subjected to a transparent public tender process.

“I assure you, honourable member, that there has been no intention to withhold information on these contracts from the Bahamian people,” she said.

She also said DigieSoft Ltd was chosen after a competitive two-round bidding process as recommended by the board.

“As the minister of energy and transport, my role did not involve participation in the Tenders Board. Hence, my comments are based on the process’s integrity and fairness,” she said.

When asked about its capabilities, she also defended the company’s work, saying the team comprised highly skilled developers.

“They’ve worked on several similar projects, and the company’s consistent positive feedback from clients served as a testament to their capability and reliability for this project,” she said.