BEC meltdown

The Nassau Guardian

BEC meltdown

Less than one month after an island-wide blackout on New Providence angered many residents, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) yesterday experienced another meltdown with significant portions of the island without electricity for most of the day.

BEC said two of its generators at the Blue Hills Power Station failed around 7:30 a.m.

The outage had a significant impact on residents and businesses across New Providence and on Paradise Island.

Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Atlantis Ed Fields said Atlantis experienced power outages in two of its towers.

Fields said one tower was out until 12 p.m. and the other was out until 4 p.m.

“It was not a good thing,” he said.

Fields said the only saving grace was that the outage happened during the day while guests were on the beach.

The corporation said 50 percent of its customers were impacted in “several communities”.

“BEC teams responded immediately and despite challenges in the restoration process, were able to restore supply to some of the affected customers by 11:15 a.m.,” BEC said.

“Ninety-nine percent of the customers impacted had their supply restored by 2 p.m.”

BEC said customers in eastern New Providence would continue to experience outages until technicians could fully restore power.

“In the meantime, an investigation into the cause of the outages will be completed; however, immediate efforts are focused on restoring electricity to affected communities,” the corporation said.

“BEC sincerely apologizes to its customers impacted by the outages and ensures them that despite intermittent challenges with its generation and/or distribution networks, it remains committed to providing a reliable source of electricity across the archipelago.”

While the corporation pledged to investigate yesterday’s power outage it has not yet informed the public about the outcome of an investigation into a July 3 island-wide blackout.

As BEC officials worked to fully restore power to sections of New Providence yesterday, several irate residents and business owners told The Guardian they were tired of BEC.

Golden Gates resident Tanya Cash said her family of seven was suffering.

“I refer to BEC right now sir as a national disgrace,” Cash said.

“BEC is a total disgrace and no matter what the executive chairman is going to say...he doesn’t mean it. Enough is enough. We have had it.

“We have been here this morning in the sweltering heat from 7:30 a.m.

“We cannot get any accounting from BEC.

“BEC comes up with some flimsy excuse all the time about the station or the power generation or whatever going down.

Lost

Business owner Joey Duncombe said the outages were disheartening and cost her revenue.

Duncombe, who owns Joey’s Personal Touch Beauty Salon on Prince Charles Drive, said she watched the money walk out her door yesterday.

“It is very disheartening and discouraging because at the end of the month BEC wants their money and if they don’t get their money they will cut you off,” Duncombe said.

“In order to pay that bill you have to make the money though.”

She said she does not understand why BEC keeps suffering from the same problems every year.

“This is the storyline that we get every year around this same time,” she said.

Duran Thompson, owner of Bahamas Woodworking Studio on Jerome and Chesapeake Avenues, said his team lost an entire day of productivity.

“I have lost thousands of dollars today,” Thompson said.

“Who is going to pay me back?”

Many people took to social media to express outrage over the outages as well.

One user said, “Is BEC torturing us today? Man come on, I woke up sweating. And now they cut it off again to make this already hot day hotter.”

 

 

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