Less power outages and cheaper bills in the future – that is what Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) CEO Pamela Hill predicted yesterday, as she unveiled the company’s new five to seven year plan to assist consumers.

“We’re working on two key things in order to improve it [power outages],” Hill revealed during the Rotary Club of South East Nassau meeting.

She added, “One is to improve the efficiency of plants so that they can burn less diesel and less heavy fuel oil.”

Increasing efficiency means buying a new generator to replace the old generator that use expensive diesel fuel ultimately causing higher bills, burning a hole in the pockets of Bahamians.

The new generator will not come in at least 18 months and to pay for it will come from an increase in customers’ bills.

“It also takes harder physical infrastructure that tends to have a high cost associated with it,” Hill explained.

She advised that the customers “really engage with their families, friends, church members, and so on around this dialogue of the kind of adjustment in prices ultimately we need in order to fund the generation.”

The plan also includes, according to Hill, improved prices for fuel to ensure BPL’s stability.

New generators are in Eleuthera and will soon come to Bimini.

Hill said BPL is trying to find a product to ensure that there are “fewer ups and downs” in the price of fuel.

BPL is seeking to implement solar power in New Providence, but the problem seems to be land, not fuel, for the energy alternative not being introduced in the capital.

Hill informed that it takes five acres of solar panels to supply enough energy to Nassau.

BPL doesn’t want to keep consumers in the dark, so messages about power outages and repairs will continue their dissemination through the airways and newspaper.

Last Friday, BPL confirmed that the recent wave of power outages in Abaco were the result of “a series of tests” at BPL’s Wilson City Power Station

BPL said it was “necessary” to conduct the tests as it seeks to improve the company’s reliability and system stability.

BPL acknowledged that those tests resulted in “a number of repeated power outages on the island over the past 10 days.”

Hill emphasized her commitment to improving customer service.

In the fall, customers can sign up to be alerted via text about their bill is and when it is due.