Published On:Monday, June 14, 2010

THE Bahamas Electricity Corporation has apologised to its consumers in Abaco for the interruptions they have been experiencing to their electricity supply.

"While at present there is sufficient generation to meet the demand," said the Corporation, "these interruptions are a problem Abaco is all too familiar with and one that BEC is actively working to improve.

"Residents would be aware that the power station in Marsh Harbour is in need of replacement as the age and type of both generators and switchgear are no longer suited to the needs of the island today. Much of the equipment at the station is reaching the end of its useful life. This means frequent break downs, high maintenance costs, and difficulty in locating spare parts. The failure of a major piece of electrical equipment and resulting fire at Marsh Harbour Power Station on 20 November 2009 compounded the problem by reducing the ability of the power station to distribute power to its consumers. Staff has been working very hard to maintain the systems in order to secure the supply of electricity. And, in light of the situation additional manpower and financial resources have been applied to the situation."

BEC said that "compounding the problems this time of year are the frequent lightning storms resulting in strikes on the power lines. Although BEC has put in place systems to mitigate against these strikes the destructive nature results in heavy stresses on the system.

"There is an obvious need to upgrade the electrical power infrastructure in Abaco and improve the reliability of supply. This was recognised by the Corporation several years ago and focus from that time was to provide the island with a new state of the art power plant. Major work started on Wilson City Power Station in 2009. It was expected the station would be operational by now.

"However delays and adjustments to the project arising from litigation challenges and other considerations have moved the power station's operation closer to the end of the year.

In the interim, said the Corporation, its "management and staff are working assiduously to improve plant reliability at the existing Marsh Harbour power station."

The Corporation said it was "committed to the people and economy of Abaco. Despite the present challenges the Corporation is confident that through diligent application of its resources both short and long term improvements will be realised.

"We ask for the patience of the public while we go through this period of growth and look forward to the better days ahead."