bpl

Over the past week, Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis has become the public face of one of the government’s biggest political headaches—because the lights went out consistently and many Bahamians felt the government lacked proper communication to the public.

When large sections of New Providence were plunged into darkness for hours at a time in what feels like every other day, Bahamians were looking for electricity and reassurances from Bahamas Power and Light. Instead, many complained they were left refreshing social media, searching for updates that came too slowly and answered very little of their concerns.

The lack of communication became almost as damaging as the blackout itself.

Ironically, it came less than a month after Coleby-Davis publicly declared that BPL was “ready for summer.”

Those words now haunt the government.

Whether the outages were caused by an extraordinary lightning strike or an aging electrical grid is almost secondary in the court of public opinion. What many people remember is the promise, followed by the recurrent blackouts.

This summer, Bahamians are surviving the blistering heat combined with constant power outages with higher indoor temperatures, particularly for hundreds of homes without a generator.

If this is any indication of what’s ahead, we are indeed headed to a summer of hell.

The energy minister has now acknowledged the communication failures, admitting that updates should have been “faster, clearer and more regular.”

But Bahamians are still frustrated.

The deeper challenge for Coleby-Davis is that BPL’s competence in under scrutiny.

Every blackout now raises questions about hospitals losing power, businesses losing revenue, and sleepless nights in the heat, particularly for toddlers and the elderly.

People inevitably begin asking whether years of promised energy reform are meaningful changes.

Bahamians no longer want to hear only what went wrong, they want timelines and accountability, evidence that long-promised investments in generation, transmission and renewable energy are becoming a reality.

For Coleby-Davis, this is becoming a test of her leadership.

The coming weeks will determine whether she remains the face of a government struggling to explain recurring failures or becomes the minister who convinced Bahamians that a reliable energy future is still within reach.

For many Bahamians, power outages mean hot, miserable nights without air conditioning or cooling fans, food spoilage, a small business losing revenue, trying to keep children comfortable, and elderly individuals sitting in the heat waiting for the lights to turn back on.

As load shedding and extended outages continue across New Providence and the Family Islands, when the power goes out, who carries the cost?

The Bahamas Power and Light has stated that demand is increasing, the system is under pressure, the equipment has failed and the infrastructure upgrades are ongoing. But for consumers experiencing repeated outages, who pays the price while the system is being so-called repaired?

In recent days, residents across New Providence have experienced extended power interruptions as BPL says it is managing equipment issues, circuit overloads and rotational power supply.

BPL has attributed some outages to peak electricity demand overwhelming parts of the system, while other interruptions, they say, have been linked to equipment damage and repairs. The company has also pointed to ongoing infrastructure improvements aimed at creating a more reliable electricity network.

But for consumers, it’s the length of time power was turned off, damaged appliances, businesses losing money and a bill that does not reflect the service they received.

One of the biggest frustrations among consumers is the lack of compensation.

When electricity fails, customers still have obligations— bills must be paid, businesses must continue operating and families still have expenses.

When service interruptions happen repeatedly, customers should be compensated when a utility fails to provide reliable service.

Many countries have systems where utilities can face penalties or provide credits when service standards are not met.

Energy reform has been one of the Davis administration’s major promises since taking office in 2021— LNG agreements, renewable energy projects, transmission and distribution upgrades and restructuring of BPL.

The transfer of BPL’s transmission and distribution assets to Bahamas Grid Company was presented as part of a broader effort to modernize the system.

BPL officials said major network upgrades are nearing completion, but the public is still experiencing an unstable power grid.

Minister of Energy, Utilities and Aviation JoBeth Coleby-Davis has described the interruptions as part of the “growing pains” of building a more reliable energy system.

For the person sitting in a dark house, sweating in the summer heat, it does not remove the burden.

The Bahamas has been talking about energy reform for years. BPL still has the responsibility of balancing the cost of fixing a broken system with protecting the people living through the repairs.

When the lights go out, Bahamians are left carrying the bill.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced that Desmond Bannister will be his new deputy prime minister.

This announcement comes after the resignation of Peter Turnquest on November 26th from the position after allegations of fraud were filed in the Supreme Court by a former business partner.

Bannister, a senior member of Minnis’ Cabinet will fill that position.

What did Hubert Minnis say?

At the national address on Sunday, the prime minister officially revealed the pick, touting Bannister’s “experience and good counsel.”

“The Hon. Desmond Bannister, the Minister of Works, will become Deputy Prime Minister.
Because of his portfolio, which includes capital works and infrastructure, and because of his experience and good counsel, he will be a part of the economic team.”

What did the governing party say?

In a statement, the party released a statement in support of Bannister, stating that his appointment as deputy prime minister “demonstrates the FNM’s continued commitment to populating the government with leaders focused on serving the people. Bannister’s dignity and relentless effort to solve problems are well known. He will make an excellent governing partner to our Prime Minister.”

The party says Bannister has shown strong leadership “as a steady hand with a measured temperament working for and on behalf of the people” while praising his leadership at Bahamas Power and Light (BPL).

“His boundless determination working to resolve decades-long problems that plagued BPL shows his skill and commitment to tackling challenges while getting results. Because of his leadership, load-shedding has been eliminated and BPL is now better equipped to produce more affordable, cleaner and reliable energy for generations to come.”

Who is Desmond Bannister?

The 62-year-old  was first appointed as Senator in 2002, then elected to Parliament in 2007 as a representative of Carmichael. He served as minister of state in the Attorney General’s Office and as education minister

He is described as a sports enthusiast, elected as President of the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations in 1999.

Bannister received his LLB degree from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados and completed his Legal Education Certificate at the Norman Manley Law School in Kingston, Jamaica.

He was called to the Bahamas Bar in 1988 and served as Crown Counsel in the Office of The Attorney General between 1988 and 1991.

Bannister has served as a part-time lecturer for the Bahamas Bar, at the Bahamas Institute of Bankers and The College of The Bahamas, as well as having previously served as Stipendiary & Circuit Magistrate.

Desmond Bannister’s role

As Minister of Public Works, Bannister led and oversaw a host of infrastructure developments:

• Reconstruction of the of Bulkhead Government Dock and New Dock at Clifton Pier
• Replacement of the Government Dock in Barraterre, Exuma
• Construction of the Port Nelson Dock at Rum Cay
• Stabilization of the Coast Road in Elbow Cay, Abaco that had deteriorated
• Replacement of Newton Cay Bridge, Long Island
• Construction on the Smith Point Seawall, Grand Bahama
• Repaired the Glass Window Bridge, Eleuthera
• Construction the new Fishing Hole Road Causeway Project
• Repairs and Renovations to the Garnet Levarity Justice Centre in Grand Bahama
• Demolition of the Clarence Bain Building
• Construction of the South Andros Gym, which is nearing completion

During Minnis’ official opening of a dock in Exuma about two weeks ago, he mistakenly referred to Bannister as “deputy” before correcting himself, which drew laughter from onlookers.

Power outage interrupts the update on Tropical Storm Isaias, that officials warned could reach the Bahamas over the weekend.

With officials gathered at the National Emergency Management Agency Headquarters on Gladstone Road on Thursday evening, screens went black and radios were blanked about twenty minutes into the press conference, .

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis was present as he told viewers about the seriousness of the tropical storm, telling them to “prepare for the worst”.

For nearly 10 minutes viewers waited for the address to continue.

The address resumed shortly after.

This blackout comes after Bahamas Power and Light advised the public that Central Westridge and Westridge Drive would experience disruption in electricity supply as a result of routine maintenance exercises on Wednesday.

Customers complained that it continued into Thursday, confirming that Blake Road was affected as well.

BPL did not give an explanation for the blackout in Gladstone Road on Thursday evening.

Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip Davis says the government is fast becoming “heartless, clueless and insensitive” after the government-owned energy plant, Bahamas Power and Light, announced that nearly 90 percent of its customers face disconnection as the corporation face rising debt.

Davis says, “On the face of it, this policy seems heartless in light of what appears to be a complete pause if not collapse of the local economy.”

Davis says thousands of Bahamians are without  jobs as retail and service industries remain closed, which he believes could have been opened by the competent authority, adding that the government must accept some responsibility for the economic consequences of its Emergency Orders and not penalize Bahamians.

“The hardship suffered by Bahamians is due to government incompetence and Bahamians should not have to pay for this,” Davis says.

The corporation which has a $46 million debt and has threatened disconnection of 12,4461 residents and commercial customers, says only 1,311 households and businesses have settled their arrears with the corporation.

Chairman of BPL Dr. Donovan Moxey said the the corporation has to pay its own bill and it cannot permit customers to incur debt they may never be able to repay.

“It makes no sense to put customers deeper in debt. We want to understand the customer’s situation and work with them. It makes no sense for anybody to keep on increasing the bill without having some payment arrangement on it.”

Moxey said the corporation wants to work with customers, and hope they come in to take advantage of the payment plans, as the corporation recognizes the tough times.