By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Electricity Corporation (BEC) Chairman Leslie Miller believes the corporation is doing a good job supplying electricity to Bahamians this summer, despite complaints from residents about power outages.

The Christie Administration is now in the process of nailing down a deal to bring the corporation under the management of an American company, PowerSecure, which is pledging to immediately reduce electricity prices by 40 percent compared to what it was in May 2012.

Following the notorious frequency of outages that occurred last summer, Mr Miller said such problems aren't happening this year.

"So far I'm very happy with the service we've offered to the Bahamian people," he said. "There haven't been many outages except on Harbor Island which has been a total disaster. We just put a new engine down there. In Nassau, there have been problems at the Blue Hill plant but Clifton is still holding up. Most engines at Clifton are running and at Blue Hill, all are currently working properly."

He said the rental generators the government purchased months ago to offer additional power have been beneficial.

However, he could not predict with certainty that Bahamians won't face power woes through the remainder of this summer.

"It depends on the machines," he said. "We need a new 120 mega-watt plant at Clifton."

And after criticising BEC's maintenance crew at times in the past for allegedly being negligent in the performance of their duties, Mr Miller said employees have been performing better recently.

"They're doing a fairly decent job but they could do much better," he said.

The chairman who has sought to bring attention to the abuses of benefits he believes takes place at the corporation also said overtime payments at BEC remain too high and are a particular problem during the summer. "Overtime still killing us," he said. "There's been a spike during the summer when these fellas seek to benefit and gotta buy their girlfriend gifts and stuff for Christmas. I'm hoping that power secure will bring an American style of management where you get pay for what you do and not what you pretend to do. We could've done it but it might take a foreign crew to accomplish it.”

Nonetheless, despite telling The Tribune last weekend that he expects this week to be his final week with the corporation as it transitions to new management, he told The Tribune on Friday that he has had a change of mind.

"I'm still making decisions," he said. "I'm still executive chairman. The government is looking at a lot of people to put on the new board but they haven't made a definitive decision yet."

Mr Miller said he won't miss leaving BEC, though he would like to return sooner than later.

"I been here for three years and I've been on the board a couple times in my life," he said. "I wouldn't mind returning one day, hopefully sooner than later because we have more work to do. When it's time for a real public-private partnership, that's when I would wish to return to BEC so we could get it right once and for all on behalf of Bahamian people."