The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) was able to pay off a $55 million fuel debt that threatened to leave the country without electricity, BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller said yesterday.
"We are in good shape," said Miller, when called for comment.
He had previously issued a warning that the corporation needed to pay the debt off by the end of September or face a country-wide blackout.
Minister of Works Philip Brave Davis, who has ministerial responsibility for BEC, had said the government would, if need be, subsidize the bill.
But Miller said it never came to that.
"We didn't get one penny from the government," he said.
"We got it from our customers. I want to thank them for coming in, including all the hotels.
"I don't even want to go into the hotels. The hotels worked with us. I want to thank all of them for stepping to the plate.
"They worked with us and we have a good relationship with them. Now everybody understands that the left hand has to help the right hand and we have a commitment from them to live up to their commitments.
"They have been living up to that, and I am very grateful to them."
Miller had threatened to disconnect "three hotels out west", which collectively owed BEC $30 million.
He later said the hotels made payment arrangements with the corporation.
Davis said he would expect to be consulted before BEC acts on a threat to disconnect service to the major hotels.
Miller said, while he knew his threats were "a little nuts", they were necessary.
He pointed out that BEC's fuel comes from Shell West out of London by way of Barbados.
"We don't buy fuel from FOCOL," he noted. "FOCOL simply ships our fuel to all our [28] Family Island operations."
Miller had said BEC's total fuel bill was $100 million.
He said yesterday that BEC will always struggle with the debt.
"It's always going to happen," he said.
"There is nothing you can do about that. When you have accounts receivable over $185 million, you are in trouble."

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