The additional 40 megawatts of rented power generation at the Blue Hills Power Station is available, but is not servicing customers because of ongoing civil work at the site, according to Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) Corporate Communications Manager Arnette Ingraham.

After Bahamas Electrical Workers Union (BEWU) President Paul Maynard claimed the generators were not online because of "protection checks", Ingraham sought to clarify.

"Those generators have already been used to produce electricity for our customers," she told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

"They're not presently producing electricity that is supplying customers because they are completing works (on site).

"The protection checks had to be in, because if they weren't in, the engines would break down.

"What is happening is we had to put in a protective wall in case there is a fire or anything, it doesn't escape.

"The priority was getting the engines up and running so that we can supply customers.

"Our engines are working now. We don't have a problem with them, so we're taking this opportunity to put up this wall and do other civil work that is needed. So that is why the generators are not on load right now.

"You can't have people working while the engines are running. They are literally pouring cement. You can't have people working in an area with a live engine."

Last week, Ingraham said an additional 40 megawatts of rented power generation came online at BPL.

While speaking to reporters yesterday, Maynard said he had no knowledge of the generation being online.

"They are not online to my knowledge," he said.

"I know they were doing the final protection checks."

But according to Ingraham, protection checks were completed a while back.

"It's not a protection check," she explained.

"Protection checks are necessary before the engine can run.

"Protection checks were completed weeks ago.

"We used an opportunity.

"Things are quiet for us now.

"We don't have the problems we were having previously.

"We have the engines off, and we're doing the work that is not complete.

"However, if two engines go down in Clifton Pier, we will start those Aggrekos right up and service customers immediately.

"So the engines are available to us when we need them."

For months, BPL officials contended that the company would bring in more rented power to address summer demand and prevent rolling blackouts.

The rental generation has been flown in from Australia, Denmark, Panama, Dubai and other countries.

BPL currently has 235 megawatts online, excluding the 40 megawatts of rented power generation.

The peak for the day is 200 megawatts.

Jayme C. Pinder, Guardian Staff Reporter

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