GINGER MOXEY: RELIEF IS COMING TO GRAND BAHAMA POWER

For decades, the people of Grand Bahama have lived under a quiet but crushing reality: an energy system that has too often worked against them instead of for them. This is not merely a story about electricity bills. It is a story about opportunity deferred, businesses suffocated, and a community forced to carry a burden heavier than it should ever have borne.

The long-standing struggle between the Bahamian people, particularly those in Grand Bahama, and the Grand Bahama Power Company has become emblematic of a deeper imbalance. When electricity costs soar beyond reason, they do not exist in isolation. They ripple through every aspect of life. They raise the cost of groceries. They inflate rent. They choke small businesses that are already fighting to survive in a fragile economy.

Over the years, too many storefronts have gone dark. Too many entrepreneurs have abandoned their dreams. Too many families have had to choose between keeping the lights on and meeting other basic needs. This is not sustainable. It is not fair. And it is not the future Grand Bahama deserves.

That is why the resolution brought forward by Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey is nothing short of revolutionary.

At its core, this is about reclaiming control, about shifting power, both literally and figuratively, back into the hands of the people. The proposal for the Government to guarantee a $200 million borrowing to acquire the ordinary voting shares of the Grand Bahama Power Company is a bold and necessary step. It signals an end to passive acceptance and the beginning of deliberate intervention.

For too long, decisions affecting the livelihoods of Grand Bahamians have been shaped by structures that did not fully reflect the public interest. By positioning Grand Bahama Energy Company Ltd. as the vehicle for acquisition, the Government is making a clear statement: energy policy must serve the people first.

The additional $80 million guarantee for capital expenditure and working capital is equally critical. Ownership alone is not enough. Transformation requires investment, investment in infrastructure, in efficiency, in reliability, and ultimately in affordability.

This is where the real promise lies.

Imagine a Grand Bahama where electricity costs no longer deter investors but attract them. Where small businesses can expand without fear of crippling overhead. Where families can plan their futures without the constant anxiety of rising utility bills. Where young people see a reason to stay, to build, and to believe.

That vision has been out of reach for far too long, not because of a lack of potential, but because of structural barriers that have stifled growth. High energy costs have been one of the most persistent and damaging of those barriers.

Critics will undoubtedly raise concerns about government guarantees and financial exposure. Those concerns are valid and deserve scrutiny. But what must also be acknowledged is the cost of inaction. The status quo has already proven expensive, economically, socially, and generationally.

There comes a point when leadership demands more than observation. It demands intervention.

Minister Moxey’s resolution recognizes that point. It reflects a broader principle: when the burden on the people becomes too great, government has both the authority and the obligation to act.

This is not just a financial transaction. It is a turning point.

It is about restoring fairness to a system that has long felt unbalanced. It is about aligning energy policy with national development. It is about creating the conditions for real, sustained economic recovery in Grand Bahama.

Most importantly, it is about dignity.

The people of Grand Bahama deserve an energy system that supports their ambitions, not one that undermines them. They deserve relief from a struggle that has lasted far too long. They deserve a future where progress is not hindered by something as fundamental as the cost of keeping the lights on.

This resolution does not solve everything overnight. But it does something just as important, it changes direction.

And for Grand Bahama, that change cannot come soon enough.