By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

LESLIE Miller, Executive Chairman of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, said yesterday the entity is making arrangements with its fuel supplier to pay off a $55m debt before the end of the month, adding that BEC will never be out of fuel.

This statement appeared to backtrack from a dire prediction Mr Miller made on Wednesday when he told the House of Assembly that if the corporation did not pay off a $55m fuel bill by the end of the month, the entire country would be “without electricity”.

His comments came as he defended an earlier threat to shut off power to three major hotels in western New Providence for outstanding bills.

He said two hoteliers then promised to make a $2m payment.

However yesterday, Mr Miller told The Tribune the corporation is always “scrapping” to pay outstanding fuel bills and BEC has found itself “in this position many times before.”

“We will find the money somehow or find a way to make some sort of agreement,” Mr Miller said.

“We will get the funds as we have been doing for the last few years. This is an ongoing issue at BEC, nothing new. We are always scrapping to pay the bills and find money. So we will sit with the supplier and work it out, get it done. We will never be out of fuel, we will work it out, we have to for the people.”

Mr Miller also said the only way to ensure BEC becomes profitable is to privatise it and completely remove the government’s influence.

“In this political atmosphere it is almost impossible for the corporation to run efficiently. Just salaries alone in this place is $4 million. It is an expensive operation and whoever takes over this company is going to have to write off a $30 million bad debt they will never be able to collect,” Mr Miller said.

“BEC loses seven to $10 million a year in free electricity just in New Providence alone. To be honest, no one, no government has what it takes to do the right thing at BEC, not the PLP and the FNM. That would mean making a lot of people mad. It is a drain on Bahamian people and hopefully whoever gets the (request for proposal) RFP will bring a different attitude and mind-set and they have the guts to do what is necessary.”

Mr Miller said the corporation is owed $185 million in outstanding bills it “just cannot seem to collect.”