By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

FIVE of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation’s engines were struck by lightning yesterday leading to widespread power outages in New Providence, BEC officials said.

BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller told The Tribune that four engines at the Clifton Pier power plant and one at the Baillou Hill Road facility were hit early yesterday morning.

As a result, several areas in eastern, southern and northern New Providence experienced outages.

Mr Miller said the corporation expected full power restoration by the end of yesterday.

“The Bahamas Electricity Corporation wishes to advise residents in New Providence that it has restored electricity supplies to the majority of consumers impacted as a result of severe thunderstorms experienced in western New Providence earlier (yesterday),” a statement released by BEC said.

It continued: “Several areas in the eastern, southern and northern portions of New Providence would have been directly affected when lightning strikes damaged key infrastructure at its Clifton Pier Power Plant which resulted in several units tripping off line.”

This is the second time in nearly two weeks that BEC has cited lightning strikes for power outages.

On June 11, thousands of BEC customers were without power for several hours that morning when, during a lightning storm, the company’s transmission and distribution systems were damaged.

The corporation asked consumers to report outages by calling emergency numbers 323-5561-4 or 302-1800.