The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power & Light (BPL) yesterday said New Providence has already surpassed last year's maximum electricity demand twice, months before the traditional September peak, as prolonged high temperatures continue to strain the island's electricity network despite sufficient generation capacity being available.

Christina Alston, BPL's executive chair, said demand has climbed to unprecedented levels this year and is expected to continue rising through the remainder of the summer. "We've already exceeded our peak demand from last year twice," said Mrs Alston. "We went past system peak in May, and we went past system peak in June. Usually our system peak is September. We exceeded last year's system peak twice already."

Mrs Alston said BPL had anticipated higher electricity demand this summer because of sustained high temperatures, but stressed the utility has enough generating capacity to meet the increased load.

"We have sufficient generation," she said. "BPL does a very good job in terms of maintaining contingency. We always have reserve engines in play as well."

However, Mrs Alston warned demand is expected to continue increasing. "The system peak is going to keep climbing, and as temperatures rise and as more and more people come on to the grid, the system peak will continue in New Providence. We're growing very, very quickly,” she added.

While generation capacity has kept pace with demand, Bahamas Grid Company (BGC) executives said the greatest challenge remains transmitting electricity across an ageing transmission and distribution network.

Daniel McKenzie, BGC's chief executive, said the company has already invested more than $130m in the network's foundational infrastructure, including new 132 kilovolt (kV) substations, transmission lines, fibre-optic communications and intelligent switching equipment.

"We've completed that and more," Mr McKenzie said when asked whether the original programme of upgrades had been completed. "It's definitely not just $130m invested today."

Mr McKenzie said those investments have strengthened the transmission backbone, but the utility is now shifting its attention to ageing distribution infrastructure, where many of the recent outages have originated.

He said BGC's long-term strategy is built around "NRA" - normalising, reconfiguring and adding to the system - with future investments guided by digital modelling of the network to identify the most vulnerable feeders and equipment.

BPL is also moving ahead with a $90m Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) backed grid modernisation programme that will digitise much of the country's electricity network.

Mrs Alston said the programme includes expanding BPL's SCADA control system, mapping every customer through a Geographic Information System (GIS), deploying advanced metering infrastructure and introducing an advanced outage management system.

"The world that we want to sit in is one where we will know when you're out of power. You don't have to call us. We'll know," she said.

The modernised network will also eventually allow customers to monitor their electricity usage more closely and receive notifications before exceeding self-selected monthly spending limits.

As electricity demand continues to climb, both BPL and BGC urged consumers to reduce unnecessary electricity consumption to ease pressure on the network during peak periods.

Mrs Alston said conservation measures introduced by government agencies during last week's outages immediately reduced demand and helped restore service to residential customers more quickly.

"That conservation technique immediately took load off the entire grid," she said.

Mrs Alston said BPL intends to continue working with government agencies on measures such as pre-cooling buildings before employees arrive, reducing overnight air conditioning use and improving energy efficiency.

Mr McKenzie also appealed to residents to conserve electricity where possible, while stressing the utility is not asking customers to sacrifice comfort. "We're not saying do without your air conditioning or the luxuries of your home," said Mr McKenzie. "Enjoy that. All we're saying is conserve."

He also urged customers to report electrical upgrades properly, warning that unapproved increases in electrical loads, including electric vehicle chargers and additional air conditioning units, can place unexpected strain on the system because they are not reflected in utility planning.

Despite the growing demand, BPL officials maintained there are no plans for scheduled load shedding, stressing the current challenge lies in improving the reliability and resilience of the transmission and distribution network rather than electricity generation itself.