博客

Widespread, prolonged power outages have plagued New Providence for weeks, leaving many residents without electricity for days at a time – and leaders of the Bahamas’ key energy providers say consumers should prepare for continued disruptions through the end of summer, driven by unforeseen record-high temperatures and decades-old infrastructure. Senior energy officials laid out the challenges facing the country’s power grid during a press conference hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister, outlining the multiple overlapping factors that have sparked the recent crisis.

Anthony Christie, chief operating officer of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL), told reporters that the utility cannot promise fewer outages over the coming weeks. After two to three months of above-average temperatures that have already pushed the grid beyond its planned capacity, meteorological forecasts call for even hotter conditions in August and September, which will send demand for air conditioning even higher.

While BPL conducts annual planning for peak summer energy demand, Christie said current temperatures and consumption levels were well outside projections. “Based on abnormal conditions, we’re seeing higher loads, higher temperatures and more frequent failures on equipment,” he explained. “So that’s now straining a lot of our resources that we did not really anticipate would be needed at this level.”

When pressed on whether BPL had failed to adequately prepare for summer demand, Christie rejected that claim, emphasizing the current crisis stems from entirely unforeseen conditions. Utility crews are working around the clock to reinforce grid infrastructure, reduce outage durations and minimize disruption for households, but Christie stressed that 100% uninterrupted power is not a realistic outcome. “They don’t want the light to never go off, but that’s not reality,” he said. “The light will go off. The power will go off. There will be an issue, a challenge that has to be addressed. But again, we’re trying to shorten the outages and lessen the impact.”

BPL Executive Chair Christina Alston echoed that defense of the utility’s preparation work, noting that no mechanical or electrical system delivers flawless, constant operation. “Saying that the system is going to be on 100 percent of the time, that is a very unrealistic goal,” she said. “No system is 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Your car doesn’t work 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Nothing mechanical or electrical works 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. But what we have done is systematically gone through and mitigated where we could see problems occurring.”

Alston described the Bahamas’ power network as one of the most complex in the Caribbean, and urged residential consumers to give providers flexibility by cutting back on unnecessary energy use through the remaining hot months. Officials clarified that this call is not asking residents to give up air conditioning or other home comforts – only to use energy mindfully.

Dareo McKenzie, chief executive officer of Bahamas Grid Company (BGC), which now manages New Providence’s transmission and distribution network under the government’s ongoing energy reform agenda, acknowledged public frustration but offered a lighthearted perspective on temporary outages: “Sometimes it may not be a bad thing. I go out and sit on the beach and enjoy what this beautiful island has to offer.” He quickly added that this personal take does not override the provider’s core commitment to consumers: “But to each his own, and it does not override our sacred responsibility to the consumers, which is to provide safe, reliable, and resilient service.”

McKenzie noted that New Providence’s grid faces consistent pressure from two daily peak demand periods, leaving the system almost no time to recover. BPL has already asked government agencies to cut energy consumption by reducing air conditioning use in public buildings, a step Alston said has already helped the provider restore power to more residential users and small businesses.

Alongside ageing infrastructure and abnormal heat, BGC is also grappling with persistent workforce challenges: the company struggles to recruit and retain skilled line workers. Currently, BGC only fields between 60 and 80 line workers to cover demand, though McKenzie said the company has taken steps to address the gap, including recruiting graduates from the Bahamas Technical and Vocational Institute, advertising open roles, and hiring experienced former BPL staff, including retired workers.

The current grid challenges come as the Davis administration prioritizes broad energy sector reform. The government recently transferred responsibility for New Providence’s transmission and distribution network to BGC for long-term upgrading and maintenance, after originally structuring the partnership with Pike Corporation, a US firm whose Bahamian subsidiary Island Grid Solutions was set to be BGC’s majority shareholder – though Pike has since withdrawn from the arrangement.

A correction appended to the original reporting clarifies that McKenzie, not Christie, made the comments about enjoying the beach during outages, a mistake the original outlet apologized for.

A brutal dog attack on a young American child vacationing in the Bahamas has resulted in a one-year prison sentence for the Bimini-based canine owner, according to court proceedings. Harrington Rolle, 34, accepted full culpability for multiple offenses connected to the July 28 incident that left 9-year-old Beau Brattain of Florida covered in more than 100 bite wounds, requiring emergency medical intervention and multiple major surgeries.

Acting Chief Magistrate Ancella Evans handed down the combined sentences after reviewing graphic evidence of the attack, including photographs of Brattain’s severe injuries that the magistrate described as deeply disturbing. Rolle pled guilty to three separate charges: negligently inflicting grievous bodily harm, keeping a dangerous dog that caused harm to another person, and allowing a dangerous dog to roam freely in a public area. All three sentences will run concurrently, resulting in a total 12-month custodial term.

The attack unfolded around 10 a.m. on a public Bimini beach, where Brattain was collecting sand during a family holiday. Rolle’s six dogs escaped from their unsecured enclosure and assaulted the child, biting repeatedly across his face, head, arms and legs. The attack was only halted when an anonymous passerby stepped in to chase the pack away, potentially saving the young boy’s life.

Emergency first responders transported Brattain to a local Bimini clinic, but the severity of his injuries required an emergency airlift to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida for advanced care. Prosecutors confirmed the child has already undergone two surgeries, one of which lasted a full 10 hours, to address life-threatening damage. Court documentation noted large portions of tissue were torn away from Brattain’s arm during the assault.

During sentencing, Rolle appeared visibly distressed and took full responsibility for the incident. He told the court he had confined the six dogs in a storage shed, but acknowledged the lock on the structure was faulty and failed to keep the animals contained. When asked how he would have responded if the child had died from his injuries, Rolle admitted he had no defense and acknowledged his negligence was entirely at fault.

In the wake of the attack, Brattain’s family launched a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to cover the overwhelming costs associated with the child’s care, including immediate medical bills, ongoing rehabilitation, travel for treatment, and other related recovery expenses. The family set an initial goal of $350,000, and by the time local media confirmed the sentencing on Thursday, more than $240,000 had already been raised from public donations.

Brattain’s family said in a statement that their sole focus for the coming weeks and months will be supporting the child through his recovery. “Alongside the overwhelming emotional toll, they are now facing significant medical expenses, travel costs and rehabilitation needs related to this tragic incident,” the statement read, adding that Brattain faces what the family describes as a “long and difficult road to recovery.” The case was prosecuted by Sergeant Vernon Pyfrom.

A critical infrastructure failure has thrown daily life across Central Andros into disarray, after the Fresh Creek Bridge — the island’s primary north-south transport link — was officially condemned following the sinking of a key structural support that left the crossing dangerously unstable.

The structural failure, which local leaders say was years in the making due to unfulfilled replacement plans, triggered widespread disruptions: it has delayed critical electricity restoration work, cut off access to key government services, the island’s main airport, and major local employers, and forced residents and commuters to rely on makeshift boat travel while awaiting a temporary replacement.

Senior engineering officials with Bahamas’ Ministry of Works and Family Affairs confirmed that a post-failure visual inspection found one of the bridge’s intermediate piers had sunk, shifting the entire structure’s weight load to just two outer supports. The bridge’s pile cap tilted between 20 and 30 degrees, pulling three concrete bridge slabs downward with it. “This is a great concern. This is not the way the bridge was designed,” senior engineer Anthony Taylor said. “As a result, we have officially condemned the bridge. We are not allowing vehicular traffic to traverse the bridge at this particular time, and we are in the process of developing temporary solutions to address the matter.”

Central Andros District Administrator Jackson McIntosh noted that the collapse was not an unforeseen event. For years, successive local administrations had laid out concrete plans to replace the aging, deteriorating crossing, but none of those plans ever moved forward. “Mother Nature decided it was going to fast-track dealing with the situation,” he said. Officials have confirmed there will be no repairs to the existing structure, which also carries critical water and electricity utilities across the creek. Utility lines will be reconfigured, with a new water line potentially laid along the creek’s seabed, and the condemned bridge will be demolished once all regulatory and planning steps are complete.

A pre-fabricated temporary bridge has already been located in New York, but officials estimate it will take roughly two months to transport and install on Andros. In the interim, the government has moved quickly to launch a temporary ferry service that was scheduled to begin operations the day after the bridge’s closure, to help residents and workers cross the waterway. Authorities also allowed a two-hour window for residents and workers to cross the bridge one last time before shutting it down completely to all vehicle traffic.

The closure has already hit critical services hard. Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) announced that restoration work for ongoing outages in Cargill Creek and parts of South Andros has been put on hold, as crews cannot move heavy equipment and personnel across the creek. The utility explored alternative sea access routes but was unable to secure suitable vessels; it now expects the planned ferry service to allow work to resume. Beyond power restoration, the shutdown has blocked commuter access to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre, a major local employer, and cut off residents’ access to the airport, government offices, and businesses located on the opposite side of Fresh Creek.

Works Minister Clay Sweeting confirmed that government officials, including local MP Leon Lundy and a team of technical experts, traveled to the site the morning after the failure was reported to assess the situation. The government has already entered into discussions with Acrow Bridge, a firm that previously provided temporary and permanent bridge infrastructure to Abaco and Eleuthera, to formalize the temporary crossing delivery.

Robert Mouzas, Director of Public Works, added that the temporary crossing has long been part of the broader permanent replacement plan. The new permanent bridge is designed to be a two-lane structure standing 16 to 20 feet higher than the original crossing, reducing flood and erosion risks.

Local community leaders and residents have described the disruption as a major blow to daily life. Dr. Dorinda Dean, president of the Central Andros Christian Council, called the closure “a great loss, great disappointment, great setback.” Dean, who lives in Andros Town but leads a congregation in Calabash Bay on the opposite side of the bridge, was forced to miss a youth ministry workshop at her church, an event that saw low attendance overall due to the crossing shutdown. Currently, residents must book separate taxis on each side of the creek and cross via small private boats, turning routine trips into complicated, costly outings. Commuters from Cargill Creek, Behring Point and Blanket Sound face daily barriers to reaching their workplaces, and multiple local businesses have reported lost revenue from restricted access.

Longtime South Andros resident Julian Gibson said erosion around the bridge’s supports had been a source of community concern for years. “If you see things getting rusty and starting to chip away and starting to fall apart, eventually, with trucks going back and forth, they could collapse,” he said. Gibson emphasized that the bridge served as the only reliable fixed route connecting northern and southern Andros, making its shutdown a far-reaching barrier to access for all essential services across the island.