Spot on Tribanon.

Using the 80/20 rule of thumb, 80% of the electrical consumption is being consumed by large foreign owned hotels and foreign mansions in gated communities like Lyford Cay.

Because the increased fuel cost is not being passed on to these foreigners the poor black Bahamians need to borrow money from the IMF to subsidize BPL’s losses.

The subsidy could easily be tens of millions of dollars on an annual basis.

The foreigners are laughing all the way to the bank because their money is safely out of the country and they could care less that our deficit is approaching $11 billion and growing each year.

One day the chickens will come home to roust but the New Day government will simply blame the old Our Time government.

They really need to bring back the $630 million BPL to pay off the BPL staff pensions and buy a massive dirty diesel generator and then lease it back from FOCAL and over charge the Bahamians for electricity.

Then don't service it.

The we will need to buy a massive service contract from Shell/FOCOL/Watisla and borrow another $370 million due to the next hurricane blowing down the unmaintained grid.

Does anyone remember what happened in Long Island during Walkine...remember all the lamp poles get blown down...no think of the massive contracts once all the light poles get blowdown during the next Walkine.

Wow, the country will be booming with contracts!

"its a new day, a new day!"

Hi Bennesun, the reason why we can't get solar energy and its so hard to maintain BPL's equipment is because there is no money in it.

So instead of BPL generating electricity they are buying it from FOCOL and you know who dat benefitting.

And also from Watisla and Shell.

All of these ppl have a vested interest in oil!

No body move! we ain changing nuttin.

Hi DDK, yes I'm being cynical but what am I supposed to do? I have a large generator with auto start with a 220 gallon diesel tank that's serviced on a monthly basis and annual preventative maintenance done to avoid breakdowns.

So I suggest everyone in Nassau go and buy a $30,000 generator or just do without power during the next Dorian or Walkine. I mean it was really really bad in Abaco, Freeport and Long Island (Walkine - 2015).

Dawes I feel its the correct decision to postpone the $15m BEC maintenance program and prioritize the appointment of additional government staff, ambassadors, consultants and increase the level of travel around the world to various conferences, conventions and meetings.

The Government is well funded after the IDB loan guarantee of $385 million which will allow the government to borrow more money at a much lower rate which can then be disbursed in salaries.

I don't think there will be any hurricanes this year or similar floods from Dorian and Walkine like weather systems. I mean we had a little flooding recently but it wasn't that bad and the lights didn't go off.

So steady as she goes!

No helpful. If we don't have to pay market rates on borrowings where is the incentive to limit the deficit.

Then ppl wonder why inflation is so high...everyone is just printing money.

Lashing out against private businesses is futile.

In a market driven economy businesses will charge as much as the market can bear without pushing their costumers to a competitor.

The problem is the Bahamas is actually a an economy of monopolies with very large players like Supervalue having near monopoly powers because of the barriers to entry by better capitalized foreign competition and a highly beaurocartic, inefficient and politicized business environment.

The Bahamian government through VAT, duty, stamp, business license are taxing activity (individual goods and services) which harms the consumer. They should be taxing profits...all profits including capital gains taxes on rich foreigners on their global wealth. Thats where the money is.

Secondly allow anyone to compete in the shipping business (Arawak Ports is a monopoly for 20 years - all goods coming into the Bahamas must use them at crazy prices, Power generation BEC/Focol are a monopoly, Water and Sewerage / monopoly on water, fuel importation Focol monopoly, Post Office / barely functional for the efficient deliver of goods and services through out the Bahamas, Potter Cay / what a disgrace, lack of banking / Canadian bank monopoly, exchange control/government control of the free movement of funds into different currencies, blocking Bahamians from investing abroad and making enough on their money to buy food.

No matter how much foreign investment comes in, it will not trickle down to the poor because its being consumed by the monopolies first.

That's why so many ppl can't afford to buy groceries anymore.

Cayman Government fiscal surplus larger than expected
Higher revenue and costs savings

https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/08/2…

I am not a Doctor but it seems to me that the General Election on September 16 will be the Mother of all Super Spreader Events.

Everything has aligned against voting being done safely starting with delta, political rallies and motorcades laying the unfortunate ground work for the final event.

On September 16 all 200,000 Bahamian adults will wait in long lines in the hot sun, file into small rooms filled with ppl, touch multiple documents touched by others then go home to our respective families.

Wow, fixing the grid? All the half way dropping down light polls, thousands of rusted transformers on electric polls, antiquated grid engineering, old substations, dozens of islands to deal with?

Ok, ok, we need to borrow another $500 million for that and pray a Dorian class hurricane don’t hit Nassau between now and the next 20.