The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Power and Light has apologised to customers once again as repeated outages continue to plague New Providence, with the utility admitting that faults affecting western communities have persisted for the past two weeks.

BPL chief executive officer Toni Seymour-Pratt said the company was working to resolve problems affecting the Skyline feeder and surrounding areas, including Cable Beach, Baha Mar, Twin Lakes, Prospect Ridge, Lake Killarney and parts of Stapledon Gardens.

“Our technicians have been actively working to identify and remedy these issues. This work remains a priority and based on the work currently underway we anticipate these interruptions will be resolved,” Ms Seymour-Pratt said in a video message on Friday.

Her apology came on the same day another widespread outage struck New Providence after three generators at BPL’s Clifton Pier Power Station tripped offline at about 9.40am.

The failure affected customers in Prince Charles West, Fox Hill North, Firetrail East, Blue Hill Road, Prince Charles Drive East, Moss Road, Elizabeth Estates II, Mackey Street, Nassau Shore, Prince George Dock and Coral Harbour.

Additional circuits were automatically taken offline under the system’s under-frequency protection scheme.

Ms Seymour-Pratt said crews began restoring power within 16 minutes, at about 9.56am, with restoration completed by 10.51am. Customers experienced approximately one hour and 11 minutes of interruption.

The latest disruption adds to mounting frustration over BPL’s reliability, particularly in western New Providence, where residents and businesses have been dealing with repeated outages in recent weeks.

In June, residents in Love Beach, Old Fort Bay and nearby communities reported prolonged and recurring outages, including interruptions lasting up to 24 hours. Residents complained of spoiled food, security concerns and additional expenses from running generators.

The problems continued into July and August, with five consecutive days of outages in western New Providence at the end of July. BPL acknowledged that its ageing system and contingency plans had been strained by repeated failures.

The utility has previously attributed outages to a combination of equipment and cable faults, high electricity demand, extreme heat and ongoing grid upgrades.

In Friday’s video message, Ms Seymour-Pratt acknowledged customers’ concerns and said the company remained focused on improving the reliability of the power grid.

“We know that our customers require dependable electricity and we remain committed to strengthening the grid, improving reliability and providing you with the level of service you truly deserve,” she said.