By JADE RUSSELL 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

ROBERT SANDS, Bahamas senior vice president of government affairs, said the resort expects a slight increase in its BPL bills as the government’s equity rate adjustment policy takes effect this month, but expects to mitigate the rise through various strategies.

He said the resort had a “good” meeting with Energy Minister JoBeth Coleby-Davis.

The government plans to give BPL a new boiler system to help the plant burn heavy fuel oil more efficiently. The system will save customers one to two cents on fuel costs.

Mr Sands said this is one of the government’s strategies to mitigate rate increases, noting that the boilers should have been installed last month or be commissioned this month.

“That will have a two cents per kilowatt hour reduction, of which one cent will be shared with the general population and one cent will go towards the capitalisation of that equipment,” he said.

He added that Baha Mar will not see its bill for this cycle until August or September.

“There is no question that the extreme heat causes individual properties to consume increased air conditioning, which is one of the most expensive contributors to the cost of our electricity bills,” he said.

The Equity Rate Adjustment will give all consumers a 2.5 cent per kilowatt hour (kWh) discount on the first 800 kWh that they consume. Above that threshold, BPL customers must pay a 1.5 cent charge for every kWh used over and above BPL’s actual cost of fuel.