BEC Eleuthera Manager Addresses Electricity Supply Issues

BEC Complex in Rock Sound

Eleutherans throughout the island have been voicing increasing concerns about the frequency and duration of Power Outages being experienced, and on occasion, the accompanying damage that may be caused.

To garner more information on the gravity of the situation, The Eleutheran spoke with Mr. Javan Rolle, Manager of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) in Eleuthera from his Rock Sound office earlier this month.

In addressing the immediate cause of the problems, he explained that the Corporation had a number of power generators that failed in close succession and as reparations on the failed machinery were being undertaken, other failures occurred. With the high summer loads coming on stream, he said, there was the challenge of meeting the load demand, while continuing with the repairs. As a result, there may be some outages.

While the causes of the machine failures were not addressed, the Manager did highlight that a long-term solution to the current situation has been in the works for some time - with BEC plans to construct a 16 Megawatt power station in Hatchet Bay; now to come on line in May of 2009.  He further stated that BEC is working to improve the start up time of the new plant - saying, that equipment for the new Mega Plant have already been procured and the civil construction set to start soon. Mr. Rolle said that the new facility will be modern, of sufficient capacity and efficiency, to service the entire island and that Surveyors have been on island during the first week in June to plot the exact location of the plant.

To deal with the immediate challenges facing customers, BEC has brought in three (3) sets of modular generators - with a fourth expected in shortly to stand in for the failed machinery, while comprehensive repairs are completed in Rock Sound, Hatchet Bay and Harbour Island. Repairs are expected to be on going throughout July and August of this year. 

Once completed, the repaired machinery will serve to complement the modular generators, providing consistent power service for Eleuthera customers, with anticipation of the new Hatchet Bay Plant more than adequately serving the entire island, when brought on line in May of next year.
Notably, plans are also in the works to relocate the Harbour Island Plant as the presentation and noise generated does not fit into the upscale, tourist ambience of modern day Harbour Island.

Customers are encouraged, always, to protect sensitive equipment and electrical appliances through the use of proper surge suppressors and to insure against losses.  Mr. Rolle assures that current power quality from the stations have very tight tolerance levels, and that systems are set to trip if levels go outside of set boundaries.