Exuma and Ragged Island Member of Parliament Chester Cooper welcomed Bahamas Power and Light’s (BPL) selection of a firm to construct a solar generation facility in Ragged Island. 

“I am pleased that after watching the people of Ragged Island suffer for the past two years, this government has decided to move on addressing some of the needs of the people,” Cooper said yesterday.

“I fully support renewable energy and any effort at improving the lives of Ragged Islanders.

In the face of the mayhem taking place on New Providence, this is a bright spot for a beleaguered BPL.”

Last week, BPL announced that work on implementing its first solar and battery storage solution is set to begin within days on Ragged Island.

Burlington Strachan, BPL director of grid stability and support services, said,  “This project, when completed, will produce in excess of 90 percent of the energy requirements for Ragged Island, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of the island and diversifying the energy mix for BPL on the island.” 

While the company chosen to construct the solar and battery storage facility is unknown, Cooper said he will wait to see what results from this undertaking.

“We also question why this project will only cover 90 percent of the needs of Ragged Islanders. There are not so many people that the other 10 percent should prove difficult to cover,” he said.  “We would also be very interested to know the specific cost of this project.”

According to BPL, the project also supports the power plant’s diversification of energy sources within its generation fleet and is paving the way for the company in the renewables arena.

“While we exercise continued patience with this administration, we shall be closely watching the construction of this facility and eagerly anticipating the December 31, 2019 deadline for completion,” Cooper said.

The member of parliament also noted that in addition to the solar facility, Ragged Island also needs a teacher, a nurse, a policeman and a public administration building.