By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

Abaco hoteliers are warning that Bahamas Power & Light's (BPL) outdated infrastructure is causing yet another challenge for the island’s tourism sector.

Molly McIntosh, the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina’s proprietor, said recent “load sharing” and “load shedding” is “the worst it’s been" even though she described Abaco’s BPL linesmen as hard working and doing the best with the resources they have. 

She added that her generator cannot support the resort, and the surrounding houses are without electricity. As a result, Ms McIntosh said some visitors to the island are becoming upset over the power woes.

“Right now, it's the worst it's been,” Ms McIntosh said. “They're load sharing every day. Our electricity goes off at the Bluff House two or three times a day now. Like they'll turn off the village of New Plymouth, and they'll turn us on, and then they'll turn us off and turn them on. It's the same thing in Hope Town, and just in the last few days, it's gotten worse. 

“I know BPL is working. I was just getting off the ferry. I saw a big contingent of BPL workers getting on a boat to come over to Green Turtle Cay. We don't know the details of what's wrong, but I know they're working on it. I don't want to crucify those guys, because they're working hard, and they're working day and night, and they were working on the holiday.

"But it's really tough on us, because no generator can handle the marina. And, of course, all the marinas are full. So all of those boats, they're getting irate with us for not having reliable power. We do have generators that run our restaurant and our rooms. However, any of the houses that are rented right around our property don't have generators. And it's bad.”

Ms McIntosh said  guests have been “good natured” about the situation so far. However, she called on BPL to have a plan for resolving its infrastructure issues. “It is the busiest that I have ever seen it for June,” she added. “I mean, it is chock a block. If I had 50 more rooms, I think I could rent them. It's really, really busy.

"People are having fun. They want to be in Abaco. And, you know, people, they've been very good natured. Nobody's putting a noose around a tree to string me up yet. So, I mean, they've been cooperative. But you'd be the same way. If I'm going to go and pay $300, $400 even more a night, I want electricity.

“I'm unqualified. I don't know all the facts, but I think that money needs to be put into the infrastructure for BPL. I just think that they need to make a plan. And like I said, I'm unqualified. I don't know all the details, but I think if they make a plan and just start to make some progress... How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Just make a chip at it, and we'll see improvements," Ms McIntosh said.

“And they have good people working for them. It's really, really important that we get power, even with generators. All the resorts need to have generators, but we can't run every single thing all the time. Like I said, there's not a generator big enough to handle the marinas.”

Ms McIntosh noted the cost associated with frequently operating a generator, including maintenance and the availability of fuel.  “That increases our expenses by a huge amount,” she said. “And not to mention that you've got to maintain [it]. You've got to know how much diesel you need to run the generators, how long they're on. You have to be monitoring that constantly.

"That takes more manpower filling the generators. And then the other problem is going to be we're going to run out. We're a little island, so diesel comes in, and if we have a big demand then it could run out and then we don't have any.

"It hasn't happened yet, but my fear is that it might happen. The supply to get the diesel here, and it has to come by boat and, of course, that's weather-related. That's depending on where they've got it. You know, they have scheduled other islands. 

“So it's tough. It really is. Like I said, we're so busy and the people are so happy, I just don't want to see that ruined," Ms McIntosh continued. "It's really stressful to see such a good thing. And you don't want it to go south. You want things to really be good for these guests so that they keep coming.

"And the other thing is our season has extended. I've always wished for that. We started being busy in February. June is the busiest I've ever seen it. A lot of these people are from Florida, and they're in boats, and they'll come back in August, which would be huge for us. If the weather's good, they'll come back. But if they think they're going to come back and not have power, that's going to make them think twice.

“I have a boat group that came in yesterday. I have another boat group coming in today. They leave on Saturday, and I have 70 people coming in on boats and staying a week on Green Turtle Cay at Bluff House. And if I have this, it's not going to be good," she added.

"I'm really worried about it. And that's my little small resort. We're smaller than most of the other ones, so you can imagine what it's going to be like for Abaco Beach Resort or Green Turtle Club. All of them, Hope Town and Marina, we've all got this challenge. And the more people in, the more space you have this, the harder the challenge is.”

Ms McIntosh said the linesmen on Abaco have “been very good about communicating with my operations manager and trying to let us know what's happening, so we can let guests know”, adding that this has been a great help. She said: “We are so grateful that those guys do consider us and do communicate with us as best they can.”