Minister of Works and Utilities Alfred Sears said yesterday that it will cost Bahamas Power and Light $600,000 to restore electricity to North Andros following a fire that ripped through a power plant in the community last week.
"The cause of the fire remains under investigation and BPL's insurance adjusters also must complete their work," Sears said during a
communication to Parliament.
"To date, BPL estimates that its current cost for restoring supply power to North Andros is approximately $600,000. This amount is inclusive of generation purchase, auxiliary parts as well as shipment cost. The final amount will be determined in due course."
Sears noted that there are three generators in North Andros, a 1.6 MW unit, 1.2 MW unit and a 1 MW unit.
He noted that the total demand in the north is 2 MW.
"Once the second and third units are integrated, BPL's installed capacity in North Andros will be 3.8 MW, well above its peak demands," he noted.
The minister gave an update on BPL's response to the fire which left the entire North Andros community without power for hours. Since then, power has been intermittent in some sectors due to load shedding and issues with the new temporary generators.
He noted that 90 percent of residents have electricity while 10 percent are currently experiencing load shedding.
Sears has noted that the government is minded to introduce solar energy to the island.
The fire happened last Wednesday and four Caterpillar diesel engines along with a small concrete structure were destroyed.
Sears said the on-duty mechanic reported that he heard a loud bang around 3 a.m.
He investigated and found the engine half engulfed in flames.
The mechanic contacted volunteer fire brigade and the station's manager after fleeing the building. He also moved BPL's vehicles away from the power station.
He said the fire was extinguished at 4 a.m.
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