The power was out while the PM was talking about power
There was something almost painfully symbolic about Prime Minister Philip Davis addressing the nation Monday night about the country’s electricity crisis: While he was explaining how the government plans to fix the power system, some Bahamians in Nassau were plunged into darkness.
Davis said: “I am not going to stand here and tell you that every light will stay on tomorrow.”
He argued that his administration inherited a system that had been patched together for decades—“rent another engine and patch another cable to get through one more summer”—and said his government was now attempting to transform it.
Everyone knows BPL has problems. The question is whether the government’s plan to fix it is permanent and transparent enough.
The summer outages have stretched far beyond New Providence, affecting Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Long Island and other islands.
On generation, Davis says capacity is beginning to return. Blue Hills GT2 is expected back, the battery storage system is returning, two Clifton Pier engines are scheduled before the end of September, and a Blue Hills turbine is expected back in the first quarter of 2027.
Government also says 40 megawatts of rented generation can begin being phased out in January as permanent capacity comes online.
But the more complicated story is the grid.
The Davis administration’s reform plan transferred responsibility for New Providence’s transmission and distribution system to Bahamas Grid Company, while BPL reportedly pays BGC about $8 million monthly for its management.
Yet questions remain about the ownership structure following Pike Corporation’s exit from the arrangement earlier this year.
Davis described BGC as a “fully Bahamian-led utility,” but did not disclose who now owns the 60 percent interest previously associated with Island Grid Solutions.That deserves answers.
Meanwhile, the government’s longer-term vision is substantial: LNG generation scaling to 190 megawatts by late 2027, new pipelines, and combined-cycle plants at Blue Hills expected in 2027 and 2028.
The promise is cheaper and more reliable electricity.
For years, Bahamians have heard about repairs, upgrades, new engines and new plans. What makes this moment different will ultimately be measured not by how ambitious the announcement sounds, but by whether the system becomes resilient enough that a failed engine or damaged piece of equipment no longer plunges areas into darkness.
Davis said: “I am not here to manage this. I am here to fix it.”
Now, the country will be watching to see.
