By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Disney Cruise Line’s president yesterday asserted the cruise line had “really struck the right tone” in balancing economic development with conservation at a Lighthouse Point project it hopes to start this year.

Thomas Mazloum told the Eleuthera Business Outlook conference that the company’s commitment to the island and its $250m-$400m development at the southern tip “has never wavered” during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the inability of its ships to sail for almost a year-and-a-half.

“We know there is a delicate balance between economic development and the environment, and we believe wen have really struck the right tone with this one,” he said. “We always said we would only move forward at Lighthouse Point if we were convinced it was complementary to our long-standing commitment to the environment.”

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, had earlier confirmed to the same conference that Disney was seeking to begin construction at Lighthouse Point in earnest in early 2022 once all the necessary approvals and certificate of Environmental Clearance were in place.

He added that the cruise line had satisfied all the concerns raised at the recent Town Hall meeting that was called over its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and it had been given clearance by the Department of Environmental and Physical Planning (DEPP) to proceed to working on its Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

This was later confirmed by Kim Prunty, Disney Cruise Line’s vice-president of public affairs, who said it was hoping to begin operations at Lighthouse Point in the first half of 2024. She added that while Disney had committed in its Heads of Agreement to supplying 30 percent of the project’s energy needs from renewable sources, it was now targeting a 90 percent threshold as well as “zero waste to the landfill”.

Ms Prunty also said the $355m in extra tax revenue that the development is projected to generate over a 25-year period exceeds that value of the concessions it has received from the Government, although it has provided no figure for the latter. The project is forecast to generate 120 construction jobs, with a minimum 80 percent going to Bahamians, and 150 full-time operational posts

Disney has frequently touted the $250m-$400m investment in Lighthouse Point, along with an $800m increase in Bahamian GDP, but the majority of the former will be invested in the cruise ship pier’s construction while the latter will be spread out over 25 years.

Ms Prunty revealed that American Bridge has been selected as the project’s main contractor for the project.