The Tribune

ELECTRICITY outages continued across New Providence this week, reminding us that we are experiencing an energy crisis. The current government administration, like many before it, cannot even keep the lights on. As insulting as the failure to meet the predicable demand of the summer months is the response from those responsible.

After saying that BPL is ready for the summer, Minister of Energy, Utilities, and Aviation JoBeth Coleby-Davis said, “In some areas, electrical loads that are normally shared between two circuits are temporarily being supported by just one while construction is ongoing. This added demand can strain sections of the network and heighten the likelihood of interruptions.”

Coleby-Davis made a comparison to home renovations, saying that planning being undertaken can minimize inconvenience, but not eliminate issues. What we are experiencing now, however, is not minimal inconvenience. The interruptions in services are frustrating, they are frequent, and they are, quite frankly, more reliable than the service itself.

Many of us, as we turn our keys in the doors to our homes, take a deep breath and hope the electricity is on. Many drive toward traffic lights with anxiety, hopeful that the ones that indicate electricity in our residences are working. If they’re not, we are faced with a split-second decision: go home, or find somewhere else to try to wait it out?

Then we remember that electricity outages are not 15 minutes or one hour long. Even a grocery store stop is probably not long enough to protect us from the instant and prolonged heat in a residence without electricity.

Extreme heat a surprise?

In July, the excuse we got was, “This year, the extreme heat arrived so early that BPL recorded its annual system peak approximately three months earlier than it normally would.” Why would anyone--attentive to not only the weather, but also the changes in climate over the year--expect the heat to come on the same schedule as it did years ago? Why would the earlier arrival of heat be unexpected by those who are supposedly “planning” for the annual peak in consumer demand for electricity?

Does planning, for them, not involve forecasting? Does it not involve the use of data over time to make predictions? Does it not involve contingencies for incorrect calculations?

There are three facts on which we can all agree:

First, electricity is a critical service. Many of our daily needs and activities are dependent on access to electricity, from the storage and preparation of food in our homes to performing functions as basic as receiving payments at work.

Second, the summer months are the hottest of the year, and it has been getting hotter from one year to the next for many years. We have seen summer weather creep in May, then April. The heat is not restricted to the months of July and August.

Third, due to the increasing summer heat, there is, every single year, an increase in demand for electricity during the summer months.

In addition to this information that we all have, BPL has knowledge of its own systems and equipment. It knows what’s owned, leased, and otherwise borrowed. It knows what has been ordered, what’s on backorder, and what has not yet been cleared for purchase. It knows what works and what does not work. It knows what’s faulty. It knows what’s unreliable. It knows how much electricity it can generate, and it knows the point at which systems can and will collapse.

It knows, and expects us to accept, that it does not generate enough electricity and does not have enough reliable equipment to meet our demand. Rather than accepting responsibility for this, without equivocation, it seeks to shift the blame to the consumers, drenched in sweat, idle at cash registers, tossing out spoiled food, missing dialysis treatment, fanning crying babies, and trying to calm people with dementia for whom the dark can quickly become another world.

Interruptions expected?

On June 13, Coleby-Davis said some service interruptions will occur. “As we advance through our summer readiness program, some interruptions will occur. This is an expected part of the extensive infrastructure upgrades taking place across New Providence, all while we continue to operate and maintain the system the empowers thousands of homes and businesses each day.”

What has happened in New Providence, however, was not expected. We did not expect to endure hours and hours without electricity on any given day. We’re not even afforded the courtesy of scheduled outages, allowing us to plan for the hours that our homes and businesses may be without electricity.

We are left to guess, hope, and become frustrated by the inconvenience.

References to the “major infrastructure work” taking place amid “unexpectedly high demand” is an insult to anyone who has lived in New Providence for more than one year. The heat is not a surprise. The increase in demand is not a surprise. The only surprise (for those who believed the hype) was that the electricity company was not, in fact, ready for what we all knew was coming.

It’s called “summer,” and it shows up every single year.

BPL Executive Chairperson Christina Alston, in a video messages, said she understood that the electricity outages “disrupted homes and businesses and daily life across New Providence.” She said, “I understand the frustration. I am also a mother[…] When your home becomes uncomfortable and your children cannot settle, food and medication are at risk, and the normal rhythm of family life is disrupted.”

Alston noted the impact of a failed electricity company on our ability to work, care for our families, operate our businesses, and feel comfortable in our own homes. She said, “We are operating with aging generation equipment and a grid that has been under strain for many many years.”

This, however, is not our fault and it should not be presented as though it is our problem.

We are not responsible for electricity generation or the purchase of proper equipment. We are responsible for paying our bills, no matter how outrageous. Many of us struggle to make that payment, if no other. We are well aware of the “record-breaking heat” and it’s one of the reasons we give BPL its money first. We expect to have continued service, enabling us to turn on a fan, if not air conditioning (for fear of another ridiculous bill).

“We have a plan in place,” Alston said. “We have contingency measures in place, but these contingencies have limits[…] Even the best backup plans can be stretched beyond what they were designed to withstand.”

We, the consumers, are expected to have unfailing plans. We have to be able to pay the BPL, come hell or high water. We have to have power banks and battery-operated fans ready when service is disrupted. We must always be ready.

The electricity company, however, would like us to believe that it, with all of its resources, is incapable of planning sufficiently.

Yes, someone has to say something to the public. We need explanations for the electricity outages. We do not, however, need excuses, or to be blamed for using the services for which we pay, or to be made responsible for the interim solution while the Minister, the Chairperson of the BPL board, and whomever else figures out what to do next. They need to fix it and fix it quickly. Longterm plans are not good enough. They need to fix it now.

What to do, what to do?

The Progressive Liberal Party’s Blueprint for Progress 2026 said, “The cheapest unit of energy is the one you do not use. We will help Bahamians use less and pay less through appliance rebates, building retrofits, and strong consumer protection that holds the utility accountable.”

The first substantive page of the Blueprint lists 13 points that, the PLP said, "are not just promises. They are commitments, and we intend to deliver on every one of them.” In the Progress for Energy section of the Blueprint, the political party that won this election made a commitment to:

A.  Launch a National Energy Efficiency Programme including appliance rebates, building retrofits, LED lighting incentives, and efficient air-conditioning programmes.

B.  Complete energy audits of all government buildings by 2026 and update building codes for energy.

C.  Establish a consumer protection code for electricity customers, with Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) empowered to enforce service standards and billing transparency.

D.  Reduce or eliminate import duties on energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy systems.

Do it now, government. There’s no time to waste. Launch the rebate program. Conduct the energy audit and publish the results, then take action for sustainable energy generation and consumption.

Support consumers in receiving the service to which we are entitled. Eliminate all import duties for sustainable energy now. What is the point in delaying this? Does the government plan to wait until 2030 to deliver, or is it counting on the public forgetting about it all?

Until the government manages to follow through on its commitments, the burden of the failure to generate sufficient electricity on this small island needs to fall on those who can bear it. When there are electricity generation issues, inconvenience the wealthy.

Cut electricity supply to the homes and businesses in gated communities, starting with those that have the highest selling prices and maintenance fees.

Cut electricity supply to mega resorts. Rather than pressuring members of the public to use our limited funds to fill the gap left by malfunctioning essential services, buying generators power supply backup devices, push those who have and can afford generators to run them.

Encourage those with the means to purchase and install solar panels and battery storage. Lead the way by making every government office energy efficient, from windows and insulation to solar panels and rainwater collection.

Do it and do it now.

There is no reason for the people to continue to suffer like this in 2026. Move the resources, shift the burden, and make New Providence livable.