The Minister  of Works Desmond Bannister  has apologized for the spree of power outages specifically in Abaco,  but noted that the reliability of electricity on that island has improved by some 98 per cent. 

Speaking to reporters, Minister Bannister said he thinks  Abaconians can see the difference in electricity reliability,  as in the past, the island was plagued with consistent power outages. 

“It’s been such an improvement that the Member of Parliament for South Abaco actually wrote to BPL and thanked them about the management we put in there to make a difference.  

“Reliability of power in Abaco is at least 98 per cent improved over the past and its going to continue to be improved,” Minister Bannister said.  

Last week Tuesday Abaco experienced an island wide black out at 4:33PM. The island was fully restored at 8:24 that night.

Last year a proposal was placed before the government for a bio-mass power station in Abaco which could save BPL some $3.5 million per year.

The plant would be able to produce 13 to 25 megawatts of electricity using elephant grass, an invasive plant species  as fuel.

The Minister added that consumers can expect more outages in a number of areas because successive governments have failed to improve the facilities.

“When you see these generators start coming into New Providence now, and you go  and look at Clifton, look at the date that those generators at Clifton were installed, in the 1970s. So if you have a car, that’s a 1975 car and you’re driving it every day on the road, and you’re driving it 24 hours a day,  you’re going to expect to have some challenges,” he said.

The Works Minister added that once the new Wartsila engines are installed, consumers in New Providence specifically will see a marked difference.  

Bimini residents can also expect a change in electricity reliability,  as Minister Bannister said he met with some of the stakeholders in Bimini to address power reliability issues on that island.