Published On:Monday, March 28, 2011

By ALISON LOWE

Business Reporter

alowe@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) is seeking to negotiate a reduction in the length of time and cost of a contract it is soon to award for the installation of an upgraded 10.5 mile transmission line, which will allow the new Wilson City Power Plant to fully service Abaco's power needs, after the lowest bid came in at $4.6 million.

Expectations of when that key power line will be fully operation have now been pushed back from an initial mid-May completion, as suggested by Minister for the Environment, Earl Deveaux, in January, to an "end of June, early July" date, Tribune Business has been informed.

While no contract has yet been formally signed, it is likely the contract for the upgraded line's installation will go to a joint venture group led by a Canadian company, K-Line International, who will be responsible for the engineering and material procurement, in conjunction with a Bahamian company called Triple W General Contractors. Triple W will undertake the physical construction work on the project.

K-Line International specialises in engineering, design, procurement, construction, commissioning and maintenance of high voltage power delivery systems, while Triple W is said to have constructed several major power lines for BEC and been involved in electrical infrastructure installation for private developers.

Tribune Business understands that the joint venture group submitted the lowest bid from among a group of potential contractors in a closed tendering process, where several contractors deemed competent were selected and invited to make a bid.

The closed process was used due to the need for the project to be completed in an expedited timeframe, a source close to the matter told Tribune Business. Work is now expected to begin as early as next week.

Officials from BEC and the Bahamas Environment Science and Technology (BEST) Commission joined Peter Medford - operations manager for Triple W - as a survey of the proposed route for the line was conducted last week. The transmission line is needed so that an enhanced power voltage can be carried from the Wilson City power plant, which is capable of producing up to 48 megawatts of power. Abaco's peak summer power demand at present is around 25 megawatts. BEC's Marsh Harbour Power Plant was last year incapable of fully meeting this demand, leading to lengthy and ongoing blackouts for several months and a negative impact on businesses, residents and tourists.

BEC has committed to undertaking upgrades of its generation equipment at the Marsh Harbour Plant to ensure that peak demand can still be met ahead of the new plant and power line becoming fully operational.

This investment would not be a "waste", BEC chairman Michael Moss previously told Tribune Business, as the generation units will be moved to other locations after they are no longer needed in Abaco.