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{"source_url": "http://www.bahamasnational.com", "url": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/content/leader-plp-and-opposition-spokesman-electricity-and-energy-matters", "title": "Leader of the PLP and Opposition spokesman on electricity and energy matters", "top_image": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/Brave-Davis.jpg", "meta_img": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/Brave-Davis.jpg", "images": ["http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/gallery-10_0.jpg?itok=oiWccPIb", "http://bahamasnational.com/demo1/sites/default/files/imageblock/adv-header.jpg", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/imageblock/FinalDesign_2.png", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/imageblock/aliv_adheader.jpg", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/gallery-16_2_2.jpg?itok=zFRCE_G4", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/andros%20death.jpg?itok=EYeQnavU", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/all/themes/gavias_vecas/images/anon.png", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/bahamasnational_logo_small.png", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/gallery-15_0.jpg?itok=LNz69uQS", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/post-9_0_0.jpg?itok=1YyYZ_5e", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/Minister_D_Aguilar_KLS7529.jpg?itok=QKDsF6df", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/%236.jpg?itok=1vxdYftM", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/Screen%20Shot%202020-01-24%20at%2010.38.12%20AM.png?itok=-FafMMU0", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/gallery-8_2.jpg?itok=q9H2OcYk", "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/Brave-Davis.jpg"], "movies": [], "text": "The PLP wishes to respond to a statement released by the Bahamas Power and Light on the National Utility Investment Charge (NUIC).\n\nIn classic FNM style, this administration continues to blame everybody else for their incompetence and errors while refusing to accept responsibility for their poor policy decisions.\n\nThe specific charges of \"ill-advised decision making\" and \"misplaced priorities by previous management\" are totally false, baseless, without merit and a continuation of the FNM's deceitful and shamefull narrative of blame the PLP.\n\nThe FNM never passes up an opportunity to rewrite history and deceive the public in the process.\n\nThe record clearly shows that between 2012 and 2017, operational efficiencies at BPL assisted in reducing electricity costs by some forty percent.\n\nThe electricity laws were updated and modernized to accommodate private power generation, net metering and the incorporation of alternative energy sources.\n\nThe partnerships and agreements with PowerSecure, Southern Electric and Fortress Energy for the supply of Natural Gas and the upgrade of the existing and unreliable power generation plants and distribution networks promised to further reduce electricity rates by thirty percent over thirty months.\n\nThe record clearly shows that three major and reputable financial institutions - namely Credit Suisse, Bank of America and CIBC - were all on board as financiers of these upgrades based on the strength of the BPL business plan and international reputation of our strategic partners.\n\nThe energy committee of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) also endorsed this energy reform plan.\n\nFurther, the PLP legislated a Rates Reduction Bond law to address BPL's legacy debt and released a National Energy Policy as the blueprint for energy sector reform going forward.\n\nMuch of the preparatory work of the last PLP administration were unwittingly dismantled by the FNM to the detriment of BPL and its customers.\n\nMultiple fires at multiple power plants resulted in the destruction of scores of megawatts of power generation capacity that has hurt BPL and its customers. Disputes at the board level, an ill-advised, failed and expensive voluntary employee separation exercise coupled with dubious, secretive and convoluted agreements with both Shell North America and Wartsila have landed BPL in the state it is in today. Customers have had to suffer through unrelenting daily blackouts, excessively and redundantly high electricity costs and uncertainty, all at the bad hands of the FNM who made politically motivated decisions at BPL.\n\nThe public is well aware that the PLP opposed the FNM's version of the Rate Reduction Bond during the House debate because the government could not explain the cost and conditions of the bond. The PLP said it would not support this additional fee on BPL customers until the government could provide the public with this definitive information. To date, the FNM has failed to meet and satisfy this agreed condition but here we are with the imposition of this new fee, an additional cost on electricity without any update on the raising of the funds secured by the Rate Reduction Bonds. This is reckless and a wanton betrayal of the public trust.\n\nI again publicly call on the government to be accountable and transparent and publish the cost of the Rate Reduction Bond and the terms and conditions of the imposition of this new fee schedule. It is the right thing to do. It's in the public interest.\n\nOverall, the FNM must accept full responsibility for all of its actions, poor decisions and the lack of public confidence in this beleaguered public Corporation.\n\nThis nightmare began in ernest shortly after the FNM assumed management control of BPL in May 2017.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": ["Food", "big", "World", "Music", "Lifestyle", "All", "Traveling", "Fashion", "Politics", "Basketball", "Buddy Hield", "Sport", "New", "Sports"], "authors": [], "publish_date": null, "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/misc/favicon.ico", "meta_data": {"viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1, maximum-scale=1", "Generator": "Drupal 7 (http://drupal.org)", "og": {"title": "Leader of the PLP and Opposition spokesman on electricity and energy matters", "description": "The PLP wishes to respond to a statement released by the Bahamas Power and Light on the National Utility Investment Charge (NUIC).In classic FNM style, this administration continues to blame everybody else for their incompetence and errors while refusing to accept responsibility for their poor policy decisions.The specific charges of \"ill-advised decision making\" and \"misplaced priorities by previous management\" are totally false, baseless, without merit and a continuation of the FNM's deceitful and shamefull narrative of blame the PLP.The", "image": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/sites/default/files/Brave-Davis.jpg"}}, "canonical_link": "http://www.bahamasnational.com/content/leader-plp-and-opposition-spokesman-electricity-and-energy-matters"} |
