NASSAU, BAHAMAS—Energy and Transport Minister JoBeth Coleby Davis contends that the $30-$60 million needed to convert the Wärtsilä engines to tri-fuel functionality is tied to global supply chain demand, arguing that the former Minnis administration had misrepresented their immediate capabilities.

During a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, Coleby-Davis noted: “The changes we would have seen in the cost of conversion are related to the supply chain in the global market. You can’t just limit your understanding to what it would cost to buy the equipment or tools to convert. You have to break these engines down one by one and convert them. It’s a lot of work, and the cost we got is what the Prime Minister quoted.

“We are not certain what the overall cost would be because we have to put it out there to get the job done but the assessments we are getting are what the Prime Minister said, because it’s not just buying the equipment. When they promoted the generators, they promoted them as tri-fuel.

“I find it funny that they are now speaking of the cost of conversion – when (the previous administration) brought it to The Bahamas (they) suggested it was already tri-fuel. Having the capability to be tri-fuel and being tri-fuel is two different things.”

Prime Minister Philip Davis told Parliament last week that it will cost $30-$60 million to convert the seven Wärtsilä engines Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) purchased back in 2019 to tri-fuel engines. During his contribution to the debate on the Electricity Bill 2024 and the Natural Gas Bill 2024, Prime Minister Davis called the decision of the former Minnis administration to forego the gas-ready capabilities of those engines a “mistake.” Coleby-Davis noted that the seven Wärtsilä engines are being housed in a dilapidated building and must be relocated.

“There are seven generators presently in an old dilapidated building. It causes spalling, which means that portions of the ceiling fall if all the generators are on at once. The priority right now is to find a better location at Clifton to house all seven of them. We may have to move them two at a time. We can only have five generators on presently in order to avoid faster damage to the building,” said Coleby-Davis.

Funkciigita de la Echoa RSS-Kromaĵo de CodeRevolution.