By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The New Providence electricity grid operator says electricity demand has hit a record high for this time of year with an 8-10 percent increase compared to early summer 2025.

Bahamas Grid Company (BGC), in a statement, acknowledged that New Providence consumers continue to experience frequent power outages but said major transmission upgrades now nearing completion will improve reliability and resilience of the island's electricity grid following Sunday's island-wide power outage.

The company, which is responsible for New Providence's transmission and distribution network, said its ‘Foundational Project’ has reached a critical stage, with all three 132 kilovolt (kV) substations now mechanically complete and in the final testing and commissioning phase.

BGC said commercial operations remain on schedule to begin in August, and the transmission upgrades form part of a broader effort to strengthen the electricity network as it faces increasing demand and an aging infrastructure.

Dareo McKenzie, its chief executive, acknowledged customers' frustrations, noting the company is aware that consumers have continued to experience service interruptions despite the ongoing investment.

"We are mindful of the frequent outages resulting from peak load demands, an aging infrastructure, combined with the ongoing foundational projects upgrades," said Mr McKenzie.

"Working closely with our partner Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), our primary goal is to minimise outages as we work to upgrade the system. While the immediate benefits might not be apparent to most at the moment, we remain committed to putting in place the foundation and beyond to modernising the grid and improving reliability and resiliency throughout New Providence. There is still more work to be done, and so we remain focused and committed."

BGC also outlined progress on maintenance and expansion works during the first half of 2026, saying it completed some 900 repairs across the transmission and distribution system, ranging from individual customer connections to major network outages.

It added that crews repaired more than 200 street lights, primarily along John F Kennedy Drive and Milo Butler Highway, while carrying out an "aggressive" tree-trimming programme aimed at reducing vegetation-related faults.

On the network expansion side, BGC said it connected 61 new customers to the grid, installed 10 spans of new overhead distribution lines, laid almost 5,000 feet of underground distribution cable and erected more than 30 new utility poles.

The company said the work forms part of its ongoing partnership with BPL to modernise New Providence's electricity infrastructure while improving the system's ability to withstand growing demand and future disruptions.

The update is the latest effort by energy officials and utility executives to reassure consumers following Sunday's island-wide blackout, which renewed scrutiny of the reliability of New Providence's electricity system during the peak summer demand period.

BPL's Board has since confirmed the outage originated on the transmission network rather than from insufficient generation capacity, while JoBeth Coleby-Davis, minister of energy, utilities and aviation, has promised a comprehensive review and a more detailed public explanation of the incident.