By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Frustrated Eleuthera residents yesterday suggested that St George’s Cay Power Company (SGCPC) replace Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) or provide a reserve option for the mainland.

Leatendore Percentie, in an Eleuthera-centred BPL Hotline Whats App Group, suggested that the energy provider for Spanish Wells, Russell Island, West End Cay, Charles Cay and Royal Island be called upon to relieve the frequent and long-lasting outages that the island is enduring on a daily basis.

“We have seen a few PR exercises trying to address the situation, but I really think we need to hear from the general manager, who’s been here for months and months, and nobody’s ever seen or heard of him, and I don’t even know what his name is,” Mr Percentie added.

“But somebody in authority got to be in charge of BPL. This continuous touch-up job is really for the conch shells. This is a complete waste of energy because all of these turn off, turn on, turn off and turn on, and this maintenance that never used to happen before. It seemed like every other day they’re doing some maintenance. What on earth is the problem, BPL? 

“Now, [chief executive Toni] Seymour, please make some statements about Eleuthera. What is happening? We cannot continue to grow with these frustrating events happening. Everybody say, ‘buy a generator, buy generator’. Well, not everybody have the money to buy a generator. Okay?

“And secondly, the insult to the people of Eleuthera, they actually posted that they were going to be doing a mass disconnection today. How can you demand patience when your service is so defective? You know, we need to get this BPL business together, honest to goodness. Otherwise, we got to have a plan B.”

Mr Percentie said throughout the years he and others have met with St George’s Cay Power Company in the hope it could solve Eleuthera’s electricity woes. “Concerned citizens, and particularly the hoteliers in Harbour Island, we’ve met several times with St George’s Cay Power Company, and they actually have a surplus capacity anticipating development,” Mr Percentie said.

“And they can actually provide another 200 or 300 percent above now what they’re operating. And so they can export to the mainland by simply running a cable. Maybe it’ll cost about $2m to either the Bluff, Eleuthera, or through Jeans Bay, and that could be used as a back-up.

“As an example, like right now, if that was in place, that could have been a back-up. That’s one of the plan Bs. The other Plan B is for somebody to take over because, 15 years ago, I had brought a group to take over BPL Eleuthera, but we were turned down,” he added.

“I’m suggesting that to BPL. Maybe they can take the lead in terms of even having a Plan B. But I’m saying we cannot do anything without the Government’s approval. That’s the problem.” Mr Percentie said informal meetings were held about three or four years ago on such a move, but he is hoping it will still be considered as Eleuthera is still suffering from utility woes.

“We’ve had several conversations over the years with St George’s Cay because obviously we are concerned about Harbour Island not receiving power, and the negative impact that it had on our businesses. So we met as an organisation, the Bahamas Harbour Island Hotel Association, met with St Georges on at least two occasions where I was present, exploring the possibility of them expanding into Harbour Island,” he added.

“Since then there have been informal meeting meetings about maybe three or four years ago, because the same problem continues. There’s still no resolution. We’re still looking for a Plan B. And we discussed the technical aspects. And, according to them, everything is favourable for us to utilise that plan from the technical point of view. And it is something that can be done very quickly, because it’s just a matter of laying cables and setting up a transformer to transmit it.

“What I meant by a Plan B, I meant some other options other than BPL, or a new strategy. Obviously, we’re still having the conversation. So the protest was, I guess, not effective, because otherwise something would have been done. And so that’s where we are. We need to do something else. This is not working, and it is negatively impacting businesses, homes, morale, everything, whatever you want to name.”

Former local government representative for the settlement of Current, Aldred Albury, backed the idea. He said he hopes there can be an agreement that allows St George’s Cay Power and Light to aid in providing efficient and reliable power to Eleuthera.

“I did hear at one point that there was a suggestion of running a cable from St George’s Cay Power and Light to the northern end of Eleuthera for electricity purposes,” Mr Albury said. “However, St George’s Cay Power wanted to be in charge of the entire thing, including collecting the revenue payments. And that was not something the Government was willing to turn over.

“So that was, I heard, where the deal fell through. I’m not sure exactly how much of that is factual. But I believe if they can come to some agreement, whether it be through a memorandum of understanding or something of the such where BPL can purchase the electricity from them in the event that need be, and provide it to the customers in North Eleuthera, that would also be an avenue that I believe they should look at.”

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