The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

ELECTRICITY regulators have fined Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) some $29,662 over licence breaches related to its delayed reporting of major outages on Abaco and Crooked Island in late 2025.

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA), in two decisions and orders issued on June 16, 2026, found that BPL violated condition 24.5 of its public electricity supplier licence by missing the mandatory deadline for reporting the outages to the regulator.

URCA explained that BPL’s licence requires it to notify the regulator within 24 hours of any major outage and provide relevant key information, including the cause; the areas affected; the number of customers impacted; the restoration efforts undertaken;, and the time taken to restore service.

The first fine involves a series of major outages affecting Abaco and its cays between November 30 and December 15, 2025. URCA found BPL failed to submit the required reports within the prescribed period, and instead supplied them between December 18 and December 21, 2025. This resulted in reporting delays ranging from two to 21 days - for which URCA has imposed a $20,000 penalty.

The second event was a major outage on Crooked Island on October 21, 2025. URCA became aware of it through public sources after not receiving the required report from BPL. Following an inquiry by URCA, BPL submitted its major outage report on October 30, 2025, nine days after its occurred. URCA found that BPL had breached its reporting obligation and fined the utility $9,662.

URCA, though, said that - while it has imposed these fines - their enforcement and collection will be suspended for a 12-month period. While affirming that the suspension does not waive, reduce or cancel the fines, the regulator said this period gives BPL the chance to show sustained compliance with its licence obligations.

“Should BPL commit any further breach of its major outage reporting obligations, fail to comply with the orders, or fail to implement the required corrective measures during the suspension period, URCA may proceed with enforcement and collection of the fines,” the regulator said in a statement.

“Timely reporting is critical to enabling URCA to monitor service reliability, oversee restoration efforts where necessary, and discharge its consumer protection responsibilities. These determinations reinforce the importance of compliance with licence conditions while providing BPL with a clear opportunity to strengthen its reporting processes and demonstrate future compliance.”

BPL, in response, stressed URCA’s findings only concern the timing of its regulatory reporting and "do not relate to BPL's operational response, restoration efforts or the reliability of the electricity system”.

The state-owned utility said it has already strengthened its internal reporting procedures, increased management oversight and introduced measures to improve the consistency, accuracy and timeliness of regulatory submissions.

BPL added that it has requested URCA convene a joint reporting workshop for all government-owned electricity providers it regulates. According to the utility, URCA agreed to host the workshop, which will review reporting requirements, templates and submission expectations with the aim of standardising reporting practices. "Major outages, particularly on the Family Islands, require engineering and operational personnel to focus first on restoring service, ensuring public safety and assessing system conditions," BPL said.

They added that the workshop should help streamline the reporting process while ensuring submissions remain complete, accurate and timely.

"We recognise the importance of transparent and timely regulatory reporting, and appreciate URCA's collaborative approach to strengthening the process," BPL added. 

"Our goal is to ensure that outage reports are accurate, consistent and submitted efficiently while our operational teams remain focused on restoring electricity safely and as quickly as possible."