A group of twenty aspiring engineers from the University of The Bahamas’ Physics 301 class visited Bahamas Power and Light Company ltd. (BPL), Blue Hills Power Station (BHPS), on Wednesday, October 18th, to gain first-hand knowledge, on how electricity in generated and distributed through-out BPL’s network.

The students, along with Mr. Vernal Brathwaite, UB Physics and Mathematics Lecturer, were given a tour of the facility, by Mr. Phillip Brown, Mechanical Maintenance Manager and Mr. Sterling Bain, Electrical Fitter, at BHPS. The students were able to put to use theoretical concepts learned in the class room and make those applicable to real scenarios represented at the power plant.

During the tour Mr. Bain gave a brief history lesson on BHPS, an in-depth discussion on how gas and steam turbines work, as well as an overview of the plant’s operations. In addition, students were also given the opportunity to view schematics of BPL’s transmission and distribution network and how the network allows for increases or decreases in voltage in order to safely transfer power to thousands of BPL consumers.

“We are committed as a company to providing educational opportunities, especially to those individuals who express interest in the industry. Most people do not understand the process of generating and distributing electricity or the safety aspects involved in providing power to over 100,000 customers daily. These types of visits give us an opportunity to make the public aware of these aspects.”

Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC). BPL, the premier provider of electricity in The Bahamas, operating generation, transmission and distribution systems throughout the archipelagic nation. The company operates 30 generating plants in 25 island locations and has more than 100,000 customers. BHPS was first constructed in 1969 and its first set of gas turbines were commissioned in 1970. The plant has grown tremendously since then, to date BHPS has a generating capacity 260MW, of which 80MW is provided by rental units.

Pictured in photo: Ms. Diana Sands, BPL Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Sterling Bain, Mr. Vernal Brathwaite and students.