THE government has decided to defer the announcement of the strategic partner for the Bahamas Electricity Corporation until after interventions and discussions coming out of an energy security summit in Washington, DC, according to Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis.

Prime Minister Perry Christie and a delegation left the country yesterday to attend the Caribbean Energy Security Summit in Washington.

Mr Christie is set to return to the Bahamas on Wednesday night.

“The prime minister has indicated that he’s having a meeting next week with the vice president of the United States of America where energy will be discussed as the topic and he thought before they make the announcement perhaps he should hear what they are saying about this aspect of energy in the whole Caribbean,” Mr Davis told reporters on Friday.

“So we think we are where we want to be and it’s only a question as to those things happening.”

At the summit, US Vice-President Joseph Biden will deliver the policy position of the United States on energy security for the Caribbean region. The prime minister will also have an opportunity to reconcile both policies and to discuss the Bahamas’ energy reform initiatives with Mr Biden, a statement from Bahamas Information Services said.

Mr Christie first announced plans to reform BEC in August 2013. At that time, Mr Christie said two separate companies would take over the management and power generation at BEC. At the time, he said the contracts would be signed at the end of 2013.

However last December, 16 months after Mr Christie’s initial announcement of the plans for BEC, Mr Davis added further confusion and speculation over the matter when he confirmed a Tribune Business report that the government had abandoned its previous plans for a split.

He said the Christie administration was opting to select a single private sector “manager” for all of BEC’s operations. It came amid his repeated promises to reporters that the process surrounding BEC’s reform was drawing to a close.

“First of all, it is a monumental step we are taking and I think we want to ensure that what we are doing is in the best interest of the Bahamian people,” said Mr Davis on Friday about the delays.

He also said that the government consulted extensively, assessed and evaluated inputs and advice from civil society and industry experts before making a final decision.

The current cost of electricity is around forty-four cents per kilowatt hour. The restructuring of BEC is intended to reduce this cost to consumers by 30 per cent to around thirty-one cents based on current fuel and other input costs.