The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

A MAJOR Abaco resort was left without electricity, water, air conditioning and Internet for nearly 24 hours after its back-up generator malfunctioned during last week’s Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) outages, forcing management to discard food and renewing calls from business owners for long-term energy upgrades.

Emanuel "Manny" Alexiou, proprietor of the Abaco Beach Resort, said the prolonged outage affected both guests and employees.  "People rely on electricity for everything. Even your city water doesn't work when the power goes out," he said.

"The hotel has a stand-by generator, but it just happened to malfunction this week, so we had at least one full day with no power, no water, no air conditioning and no Internet. That's not what tourists pay for."

Mr Alexiou said the outage also resulted in financial losses after the resort was forced to discard inventory that spoiled due to loss of refrigeration. "When the power was completely out for almost 24 hours, we had to throw away a considerable amount of food because our standby generator wasn't working either,” he added, stating that the impact extended beyond visitors staying at the resort.

"Our employees couldn't take a shower because they had no water. They had to come to work without basic services. It's been very difficult for everyone,” Mr Alexiou said.

That challenge was echoed by Paul Ferguson, manager of Maxwell's Supermarket in Abaco, who said while his business was able to remain open because of back-up generation, many employees faced difficulties simply getting to work.

"From a business standpoint, the outages haven't affected us too much because we have efficient generators. If one goes down, we have another to keep us operating," said Mr Ferguson.

"Where we really see the impact is with our employees. Some of them live in areas where they need electricity to pump water, so when there's no power, there's no water. That creates challenges for them getting ready for work and even making it in."

While businesses have invested heavily in back-up generation, both men said the island needs a more permanent solution. Mr Alexiou said proper maintenance of existing BPL generation assets remains critical.

"It's a shame because the generating capacity exists. There's plenty of power if the generators are properly maintained,” he added. Looking ahead, he expressed cautious optimism about the renewable energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects planned for Abaco.

"Ideally, it's good to have alternative generation, and I know they're putting in a large solar field. But like anything else, it still needs maintenance. Solar has fewer moving parts, but it's only generating during the day. Either way, it will help relieve some of the pressure on the existing system,” Mr Alexiou said.

"If the LNG plant is privately operated and properly maintained, then I definitely think it's going to help. From what I see, the bigger issue isn't distribution - it's electricity production."

Mr Ferguson, meanwhile, argued that broader reforms are needed. "I'd like to see BPL privatised so we can stop going through this every year. We need new generators and upgrades to the system. This has been happening year after year, and every summer it's the same thing. This year has actually been worse, with outages lasting as long as 14 hours,” he added.

The concerns come as the Government moves ahead with a new energy project for Abaco being developed by EA Energy.

The project is expected to combine approximately 30 mega watts (MW) of solar photovoltaic generation with battery energy storage and an LNG-fired power plant, creating a hybrid electricity system intended to reduce the island's dependence on diesel generation while improving reliability and lowering fuel costs. 

The project forms part of the Government's wider Family Island energy reform programme, which also includes similar hybrid energy developments in Eleuthera and Exuma. 

Despite those plans, Mr Alexiou said the island's immediate priority remains ensuring existing infrastructure is properly maintained. "At the end of the day, it all comes back to maintenance. When we compare ourselves with other countries, you have to ask why we're experiencing more problems than everyone else,” he added.