For residents of Little Grand Cay, a small Bahamian island, the long wait for restored electricity has grown even longer. Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) recently announced that repairs to a rented replacement generator have been pushed back to August 21, marking the latest setback in a weeks-long crisis that has upended daily life for the island’s community.
According to BPL’s official update, the third-party rental generation firm notified the utility that mechanical fixes would take longer than initially projected. Once repairs are completed at the Grand Bahama facility, the generator will immediately be shipped to Little Grand Cay to resolve the outage. In a statement, BPL issued a formal apology to customers for the extended disruption and expressed gratitude for their ongoing patience amid the challenging circumstances.
This newest delay delivers a fresh blow to residents who have navigated harsh living conditions since the full island outage began on August 5, triggered by the failure of the island’s primary generator. Even before the total blackout, the community had struggled with chronic, frequent rolling blackouts that disrupted normal activity. Since the full outage, Little Grand Cay has been left without not just electricity, but also working phone service and running water, leaving residents dependent on small, portable personal generators to meet basic power needs.
The cost of running these portable units has strained household budgets significantly. Multiple residents report spending between $90 and $100 daily on fuel to keep their generators operating, with one local resident putting their total cumulative fuel costs at nearly $1,000 already through the outage. As these expenses mount, many residents are now pushing for formal reimbursement or bill credits from BPL to offset the unexpected costs they have been forced to pay.
Kirk Cornish, the Member of Parliament for North Abaco, which includes Little Grand Cay, clarified the government’s ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis. He explained that the national government had already deployed two new generators to the island, but both units developed unexpected mechanical defects that forced them out of service. A third generator sourced from Walker’s Cay also suffered operational issues, leading officials to arrange for the current repaired rental unit from Grand Bahama.
“ No effort has been spared. We are trying to address the issue as best as we can, ” Cornish said, adding that he keeps constituents updated on developments through a dedicated WhatsApp community group. “ I sent a voice note that I’m fully aware and we are fully working on it and we continue to face the challenges. ”
Cornish pointed to the government’s ongoing investment in the island’s power infrastructure as proof of its commitment, noting that at least four or five new generators have been deployed to Little Grand Cay over the past five years alone. He also highlighted a recent policy move to address a long-standing financial grievance for the community: a more than $500,000 accumulated utility arrears that stemmed from a decision by the previous administration to instruct residents to use utility services without paying their bills. The current government has fully forgiven that outstanding debt, a move Cornish framed as a correction of an unfair policy.
When asked about residents’ calls for fuel cost reimbursement, Cornish acknowledged that residents have every right to make the request, but noted that the decision falls outside of his direct control. BPL has confirmed that it will issue new public updates as more information becomes available on the generator repairs and shipping timeline.
The repeated delays have deepened long-running concerns among Little Grand Cay residents about the overall reliability and sustainability of the island’s power infrastructure, with many calling for more permanent solutions to prevent future extended outages from disrupting daily life.