Deal questions lack of forethought as generation demand forces BPL to loadshed

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Serious effort must be made to get large entities off New Providence’s power grid to alleviate the yearly summer power generation shortfall, according to a former Bahamas Chamber of Commerce (BCCEC) executive, who questioned, “Has there been any forethought?”

Debby Deal, who formerly headed the BCCEC’s energy and environment division, told Eyewitness News that with the numerous residential and resort projects being developed in New Providence, it was no surprise that BPL was continually facing generation shortfall issues, compounded by its aged transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Residents and businesses in New Providence were forced to bear scorching temperatures over the past several days after BPL admitted that it was facing generation shortfall issues due to higher-than-normal temperatures leading to increased demand on the grid. This resulted in the company having to initiate load shedding, leaving many consumers without power for hours on end in the searing heat.

Deal stated, “The part that bothers me the most about this is soaring temperatures. I don’t understand how BPL could not anticipate this when we have been talking about climate change for years. The PM has been going everywhere talking about SIDs and the impact of climate change. Climate change is here, and it’s not going anywhere. Last year, the temperatures were in the 90s, with the heat index taking them well into the 100s.”

She added, “Large entities must provide their power source, generate their energy, and not pull off the grid. Several new high rises are being developed, and every single one is pulling off the grid, but is the grid going to be able to take it if it’s having trouble now? Has there been any forethought? Every time they give a developer approval, they should say you need to provide your power. The more development comes, the more we go on load shedding.”

Deal noted that the issue was similar in Eleuthera and Harbour Island, where development was booming, but BPL’s infrastructure was unable to keep up with the demand, leading to ongoing challenges.

“There are a lot of things that need to be considered. The main thing is BPL is not being financially run like a business. They’re so far in debt. The government is just pumping money into a business that is not able to pay its bills and provide proper energy. Our energy system has to be separated from the government. It has to be run by an outside company that makes sure generation works properly,” said Deal.

BPL said in a recent statement that it is working to add additional generating capacity in New Providence following two days of record-breaking temperatures responsible for a significant increase in demand.

The company stated that the increase in demand also coincides with the sudden failure of one of BPL’s primary units producing around 25MW of power and the unavailability of about 25MW of rental generation due to planned maintenance and other issues.

BPL said that it was able to return its unit to service shortly after 6 pm on Sunday (Mejju 19, 2024), but with load demands exceeding projections by 20MW, there remains a shortfall resulting in load shedding during peak hours in New Providence. the company stated that it is working with its rental generation partners to return a total of at least 20MW of power to the grid between now and the end of next week.

Additionally, BPL is working to return three units that are offline due to scheduled maintenance by the end of the month. These units will add 59MW to the current capacity.

The company maintains that load shedding remains a possibility if unforeseen incidents impact available capacity at its plants and if temperatures continue to hover over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, increasing demand.

BPL noted that it continues to work towards its summer readiness plan, which includes restoring all rental generation capacity before the end of the month and completing repairs on three major units. By June, BPL anticipates 300MW of available generation and is also working on other solutions to add additional megawatts to the grid, allowing the company to meet the projected summer peak with sufficient reserves to accommodate increased demand or loss of generation.

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