Two former Bahamas Electricity Corporation top executives said Sunday that a much-maligned BEC generator actually exceeded expectations, and attributed most of the recurrent load-shedding problems to inadequate maintenance.
Except for a few “teething problems,” former Minister responsible for BEC, Frank Watson, said, the No. 11 generator purchased from the Spanish Alstrom Power Company, performed “pretty well.”
His sentiments were echoed by hotel executive, and former BEC chairman J Barrie Farrington, who also told The Guardian Sunday, that a new No. 12 generator, due to be commissioned next month, was expected to meet the increased electrical needs of an expanded Atlantis resort complex at Paradise Island.
Present BEC officials have openly expressed concern that the $36 million-dollar, No. 12 generator, due to be commissioned at the end of June, after several postponements, could prove just as unreliable as the identical No. 11 generator purchased by the previous government from the Spanish company.
Recently, both Utilities Minister Bradley B Roberts, and BEC General Manager, Bradley S Roberts, indicated that even though repair of three malfunctioning generators brought a halt to a spate of recent load-shedding episodes, consumers could still be subjected to inconveniences this Summer.
However, Mr. Watson told The Guardian Sunday that when the decision was made to purchase the No. 12 generator, which is identical to the No. 11, there was no hesitation, as BEC was not experiencing any problems with its generators at the time.
In fact, he said, BEC purchased the No. 12 generator based on the performance of the No. 11 unit.
According to Mr. Watson, “When we ordered the No. 12, the performance of No. 11 was such that we were not skeptical about its performance. I believe we did have a scuffing of the liners on the first generator (No. 10), sometime in the mid-nineties, but I am not sure what the problem was with No. 11. It appeared to be performing pretty well, but we always have teething problems when a new engine is put on line.”
Generators No. 11 and 12 were bought because the Corporation, “as far as possible,” wanted to have the same type of machinery, the former Deputy Prime Minister said. This, he said, allowed BEC to reduce the purchase of spare parts and was also beneficial to technicians who would be familiar with the system when it was time for it to be serviced.
“With No. 12, there will now be three (Nos. 10, 11 and 12) identical generators down there,” Mr. Watson continued.
He said that, “The first line of generators was put in by the PLP; it was a slow speed generator that burns a cheaper fuel, which helped to keep the cost of electricity stable.”
Mr. Watson said the only delay in the decision to purchase the No. 12 generator, was related to which of the two companies who participated in the bidding process would be selected, as both firms were providing BEC with identical equipment.
“We had to decide if we wanted to go with the firm who put in the No. 11 generator, who in fact had the lowest bid; or if we would go with another firm. We then consulted with the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) and got them to give us an assessment, and they came back and their recommendation was that there was no reason why we should not go with the lower bid (Alstrom power company),” he said.
To decrease the constant power cuts, BEC must ensure that its maintenance is kept current and is provided on schedule, Mr. Watson said, and, “Once this happens, I think there should not be the constant outages that we have had for almost a year now.”
Mr. Farrington told The Guardian that before purchasing the No. 12 generator, documents were tendered, in addition to using the services of BEC’s consultants, who provided “in-house capabilities and expertise.”
“We had several tenders submitted, a proper evaluation was undertaken and when the evaluation was finished, it was quite evident that the two firms under final consideration by the board were very comparable in respect of what was required for that particular installation,” he said, adding that there was “equivalence” in regards to the quality that was being obtained.
Mr. Farrington also agreed that with the purchase of the No. 12, there would be some similarity and duplication of spare parts that could be used, in addition to technicians being familiar with the equipment.
“No. 11, if you had to analyze it in the end, produced more generation capability than what was originally anticipated,” the former chairman said. “Some of the problems were electronic and there was a question of fuel at one stage; and in respect to cylinder scuffing, they think that this may be attributed to fuel specifications.”
Increased electricity requirements by an expanded Atlantis Paradise Island resort complex were also a factor in the decision to purchase the No. 12 generator, Mr. Farrington said, which would use almost 50 per cent of the generating capabilities of the No. 11 generator.
“No. 11 is rated at 32 megawatts and with the installation at Atlantis, the demand was going to be something like 15 or 16 megawatts,” he said.
But present BEC executives have not expressed much optimism that the No. 12 generator, once in operation, will accommodate the heavy loads experienced during the summer months, when consumers tend to use more electricity.
Not wishing to take any chances, the Corporation has purchased a 23-megawatt No. 8 Gas Turbine to supplement the No. 12 generator.
Minister Roberts, at a May 5 press conference, said, “The problems encountered with No. 11, appears likely to repeat itself with No. 12 and therein lies a dilemma for BEC.”
He said he was informed that the previous BEC board recommended another supplier for the No. 12 generator, but the government, in its “wisdom or lack of wisdom,” decided to purchase the unit from the same manufacturer that produced the No. 11 generator.
“I am further advised that a member of the Board, the then-Deputy Chairman, Mr. Vincent D’Aguilar, resigned from BEC’s board because of the government’s failure to accept the recommendation on the new manufacturer,” and also that the Corporation was not advised “in advance” before the two generators were purchased.
Contacted on Friday, Mr. D’Aguilar told The Guardian that he could not comment, as the board’s deliberations were confidential.
In the meantime, the $40 million 30-megawatt No. 11 Slow Speed Diesel generator, commissioned at Clifton Pier in 1999, continues to perform “unsatisfactorily.”
After frequent overhauls, the most recent by Izar Manesses, the unit again failed, with major components having to be replaced.
It was said to be responsible for last Summer’s frequent power cuts, and recent load-shedding episodes that left consumers without power for some 2-3 hours over a three-day span.
The main problem with BEC’s No. 11 generator could be attributed to broken piston wings and cylinder-lining scuffing problems, BEC General Manager Roberts told The Guardian in February. He said that the cylinders of the machine were damaged to the extent that they had to be removed, in addition to having the liners replaced. Purchase of spare parts cost $1 million, he said.
He said that imported technical expertise did bring about some improvements, “but occasionally, every 2-3 weeks or months, we would have problems.”
The commissioning of the 30-megawatt No. 12 Slow Speed Diesel generator at Clifton Pier was postponed on two occasions. The generator was initially slated to be commissioned on August 30, 2002, but was postponed to April 29.
Commissioning is now set for the end of June, with delays being attributed to “technical problems” experienced during the construction period. This reportedly included structural steel work that had to be carried out at the power station that would house the No. 12 generator.
“The station had to be properly coated,” Mr. Roberts said at BEC’s most recent press conference, on May 5. “The initial coating on it, its primer and painting was sub-standard. This had to be remedied and took a few months to correct. In addition to this, there were some other problems while assembling the engine and during the civil works.”
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
