ENERGY and Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis. (Photo: Dante Carrer)
By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
ENERGY and Transport Minister Jobeth Coleby-Davis said the Davis administration’s ambitious plan to reform BPL would not bust unions or harm employees.
“There will be no BPL layoffs,” she said after revealing during her mid-year budget contribution yesterday that BPL needs $1bn to address debt and deteriorating infrastructure.
Neither she nor Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis gave insight into BPL plans, with Mr Davis saying negotiations are ongoing.
Free National Movement leader Michael Pintard and BPL union leaders have said the administration aims to separate the transmission and distribution sides of BPL from the generation side with the help of new partners.
The unions have come out against what they have learned so far.
Mrs Coleby-Davis’ ministry confirmed yesterday that two members of BPL’s board recently resigned, though the reasons were not revealed.
Christina Alston, the chief operating officer of BPL from 2017 to 2019, and Dylan Sawyer, the son of former Progressive Liberal Party Central and South Abaco candidate Gary Sawyer, are new appointees to the board.
Mrs Coleby-Davis said yesterday that BPL is more than $500m in debt and that over $500m will be needed over the next five years to upgrade its decaying infrastructure.
“It owes banks, it owes the government, and it owes employees’ pensions that are underfunded by $120m,” she said. “Big change is needed.”
Mrs Coleby-Davis said a $300m investment generation equipment in New Providence and the Family Islands is needed, as well as a $130m investment in transmission and distribution in New Providence in the next two years alone, $35m for advanced metering infrastructure, and $70m in other costs.
She said the government’s plan would deliver lower prices, increase reliability, and produce cleaner sources of energy for Bahamians.
“It is paramount that we attract capital and expertise where needed to ensure that we build a robust and resilient utility capable of servicing the Bahamian people for generations to come,” she said.
“Our goal is to select partners who are best in class and have the global reach to achieve that gold standard.”
Mrs Coleby-Davis, echoing Mr Davis, said the administration will not privatise the utility company.
“BPL is not for sale,” she said. “We are going to leverage strategic partners to ensure that BPL remains a viable energy utility meeting the current and future needs of all Bahamians.”
During his contribution to the debate, Mr Pintard accused Mrs Coleby-Davis and the administration of lacking transparency in their dealings with BPL.
“I find it very fascinating that the Minister for Energy, the brand new, spanking brand, new Minister for Energy, said that their plan is transformative but certainly we don’t believe that,” he said. “But even if it was transformative, it certainly isn’t transparent because we do not know what the plan is,” he said.
“And in fact, the minister supports this point that the public does not know, the workers do not know, stakeholders do not know. Energy providers who would have loved to compete for what they are giving out specifically to some would like to know.”
Comments
stillwaters 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Okay....time will tell, but giving her the benefit of doubt right now.
ExposedU2C 1 month, 3 weeks ago
This is one person who should never ever be given the benefit of doubt.
ExposedU2C 1 month, 3 weeks ago
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sheeprunner12 1 month, 3 weeks ago
So ............. if the present BPL is a disaster to manage, and the workers are leeching the Government.
How will maintaining the status quo make sense moving forward????
We can only assume that the workers will either be fired or retooled and the structure of BPL management will have to change in order for the THREE stakeholders to be satisfied with taking this BPL albatross on.
So this Minister is not telling the FULL truth to the Bahamian people.
Sickened 1 month, 3 weeks ago
No layoffs - no bailout! $120million in unfunded pension. How many f'in employees work there? Based on that figure there must be around 10 thousand people. One must assume that BPL have paid a good portion of the pension plan to date and that only a small portion is outstanding. If this is not the case then there is no way in hell this company should be saved. What government and BPL has done to the Bahamian people over the years is simply CRIMINAL!!!
concernedcitizen 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Okay assuming these numbers are correct , there is no way anyone could take over this debt and make a profit .BPL debt will be moved on to the national debt and passed on to our children and grand children through taxes . Then with the amount of money that has to be put in to make it reliable and with only a customer base of 400,000 , if you count the big hotels as multiply customers , there is no way there can be much rate reductions and the new partners make money .
ExposedU2C 1 month, 3 weeks ago
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themessenger 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Lock up ya ma! You know who I is??????
TalRussell 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Comrades', it is starting to hide messaging sound like you will not have to worry about losing continuous BPL connectivity --- Due to late payment disconnection. --- Cause If you can't/don't wish to pay your soared high $$'s light bill on time. --- Including, all long past due payments, help is closeby, --- Must checkout out the PLP oligarchy, who's looking like they done started to build up their general election war chest, --- [BPL projection, calls for an unaccountable $70 million in other costs] --- cash stash. --- You couldn't make it up, now, could you. --- Yes?
realfreethinker 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Every time they open their mouths they are lying
bahamianson 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Is this the lady whom couldn't say 1 hundred and something million etc?
TalRussell 1 month, 3 weeks ago
@ComradeBahamianSon, come do the arithmetic --- How many attempts at 1 hundred and somethin' million, does it taketh to [Jobeth], spoketh a Billion somethin' dollars. --- Yes?
realitycheck242 1 month, 3 weeks ago
What happen to the dang money BPL been raking over the last 18 months with the sliding scale increased heaped on the the backs of Bahamians. Was that not supposed to be used to pay off the Government and shell Bahamas, the fuel supplier. Thats 100m we the public has yet to get a n accounting explanation for.......SMT
Sickened 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Gone to multimillion dollar no-bid, no approval contracts to friends. Giving this government money is NOT a solution to our problems.
sheeprunner12 1 month, 3 weeks ago
The PLP started the Numbers & VAT gravy train ............ Go figger
They only see the Treasury as a PLP coffer .......... The masses pay for their New Day sweetheart deals
TalRussell 1 month, 3 weeks ago
[Not so simple to evict a maintenance contractor from the premises!] --- @SheepRunner, apparently so do the popoulaces' --- Pay, [and handsomely,] for maintenance at The Colony's government owned/occupied buildings, facilities and compounds. --- Yes?
Socrates 1 month, 3 weeks ago
Privatization and sale of shares in a monopoly is the way to go. it brings equality to the labour/company relationship.. as it is now, government is liable to ransom and we see it every contract renewal but privatization forces acknowledgement of reality.. however, since govt has messed BPL up, unless they are a minority shareholder in any kind of partnership, we'll eventually find ourselves in this same state again.
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