The Bahamas Electricity Corporation admitted Monday that an accident at its Clifton Pier Power Station (CPPS) over the weekend resulted in oil spilling into the sea. BEC said a reverse osmosis plant, located at the power station compound, developed a problem on Saturday morning, causing a large discharge of water into old, disused trenches on the property.
Kevin Basden, the Corporation’s general manager, told The Guardian that staff immediately took action using environmentally friendly chemicals to remove the oil from the trenches and the shore area. He added that the following morning, additional steps were taken to ensure that there was no trace of oil in the sea or anywhere around the site.
“We had a site visit carried out yesterday (Sunday) and there was in fact no oil in the sea at that time,” he said.
“What we are doing now is double-checking the area just to make sure that no residual oil is around.” Mr Basden pointed that most of the oil was contained within a small area, adding that he was satisfied that there was no environmental damage.
“And we are working in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Health so we are not checking the area in isolation,” he explained.
“The matter is still being further investigated but I’m advised that it was not oil itself spilling into the sea. It was a water discharge that took some residual oil with it into the sea.”
The Corporation also issued a statement saying measures were presently underway to ensure that similar accidents do not occur in the future. BEC said it regretted the incident and assured the public that it was committed to protecting the environment.
By: MINDELL SMALL, The Nassau Guardian
