By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

ELEUTHERA residents will experience relief from debilitating power outages by the end of September, according to Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) chief operating officer Toni Seymour.

During a press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday, Ms Seymour acknowledged the frustrations of residents

who have endured frequent power outages and even loss of water services in recent months.

She said increased load demands and unforeseen challenges have helped fuel the outages. Most of the power interruptions were beyond BPL’s control, she said, with weather disturbances, traffic accidents, construction damage, and wildlife as primary factors. She said BPL will undertake several key projects to address the island’s growing electricity demand, including installing five additional megawatts of generation at the Rock Sound power station, six megawatts of rental generation at the Hatchet Bay plant, and upgrading the subsea cable between mainland Eleuthera and Harbour Island.

“All of these projects are expected to be completed before the end of September 2024,” she said. “To complement this, we are installing an additional five megawatts of BPL own generation on Harbour Island to meet the demands, which currently exceeds the six megawatts of the rental generation currently installed there.”

She said BPL anticipates having more than 15 megawatts of additional generating capacity by the end of September 2024.

She said while the new capacity will help reduce outages, some interruptions — such as those caused by traffic accidents and storms — are still likely due to factors beyond BPL’s control.

“There will still be some outages, but it should definitely be reduced,” she said, adding that officials will build a bigger power station if the additional generation doesn’t sustain the load demand.

A team from New Providence is currently in Eleuthera, conducting maintenance tasks such as overhead line work, tree trimming, clearing, and pole replacements. System upgrades are also underway.

In July, Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs Clay Sweeting said Eleuthera residents are in

a “dire situation” over utility woes. Mr Sweeting, the MP for Central and South Eleuthera, said his constituents have “silently suffered” through frequent power outages and water disruptions for months.

“For months, Eleutherans from Harbour Island to Bannerman Town silently suffered through a series of power outages, power surges and correlating the effects of prolonged disruption in the water supply and disruption in the delivery of communications,” he said.

“The situation on Eleuthera is dire. The lack of the services is now a public health crisis and also a serious safety issue. My constituents are suffering from heat exhaustion and mental exhaustion. My constituents have been disenfranchised daily, and this is an unacceptable situation.”