The Ministry of Energy and Transport today announced additional measures to address Eleuthera's ongoing power challenges, including a 50 percent rebate on last month's base rate for all Eleuthera customers.

During a press briefing on Friday, Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) Chief Operating Officer Toni Seymour, outlined BPL’s immediate steps, including adding 5MW of new power at Rock Sound Power Station, 6MW of rental generation at Hatchet Bay, and upgrades to the subsea cable to improve power distribution to North Eleuthera and Harbour Island. 

These projects are expected to be completed by the end of September 2024, with further plans to install additional generation capacity on Harbour Island.

Works minister and MP for Central and South Eleuthera Clay Sweeting described the power situation as "dire" last month.

In a statement today, Minister of Energy and Transport Jobeth Coleby-Davis emphasized the importance of BPL enhancing its public engagement strategy to better communicate with affected consumers and ensure the timely completion of these initiatives.

The 50 percent rebate on the base rate for the month of July will be reflected in their August bills, according to the statement. 

The minister also announced plans for new permanent generation and solar energy within the next 18 months to ensure a more resilient power supply.