A former Minister of National Security under the previous Progressive Liberal Party Administration totally rejects the idea of The Bahamas housing a liquefied natural gas pipeline and re-gasification facility.
Outspoken A. Loftus Roker told The Guardian in a recent interview, that “unless the government only wants money, they should not agree to the construction of an LNG pipeline.
“It’s a dangerous thing and everyone agrees with that. Florida doesn’t want it, but they will be the chief beneficiary of what is produced by this LNG pipeline,” Mr Roker said in an exclusive interview with The Guardian last Friday.
According to Mr Roker, LNG companies would save more money if they constructed an LNG pipeline in Florida rather than The Bahamas. He said while some energy companies are willing to dish out more than $600 million to construct a pipeline in The Bahamas, they would possibly only spend around $100 million to construct one in Florida.
Mr Roker highlighted that once a Florida energy company begins to receive its supply from an LNG pipeline in The Bahamas, the Government would never be able to shut down the facility. He said if such attempts are made, U.S. authorities would probably intervene and remind The Bahamas Government that an agreement was made and contracts were signed.
“If it [pipeline] blow us out the sky, there is nothing we can do once we sign that agreement. The trouble is, the U.S. will not force you to sign it, but once you sign it, they expect you to stick to that. They know it’s bad, that is why they want it here,” Mr Roker stated.
Comparing the LNG proposal to similar proposals that was made during the 80s, Mr Roker recalled that while he served as the Minister of Health in 1972, a group of Bahamians and Americans proposed to have a plant constructed on Cat Island to house sludge from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He said the group claimed that they would have the sludge processed and converted into fertilizer. Mr Roker said during that time, The Bahamas faced “hell” with disposing its own garbage, but the government was being asked to consider this proposal.
Mr Roker said as the Minister of Health, he rejected the proposal, which a staunch supporter of the Progressive Liberal Party, attempted to persuade him to have the American company transport sludge to The Bahamas.
Mr Roker alleged that the supporter found out that he was the only minister who opposed the move, in what was supposed to be a discreet cabinet meeting. The supporter disclosed that he was experiencing “hard times” and needed the project to be approved.
“I said Mr …., anything I can do to help you, I would help you. You don’t have to tell me about your contribution to the PLP, but I can’t do that [approve transfer of sludge from U.S. to The Bahamas] because it affects the Bahamian people and I have no right to put that on them,” he stated.
Mr Roker said as the man left his office, he said, “you can help me if you want to help me,” and left.
“That was the last time he spoke to me. I met him on the street and he did not speak to me after that,” Mr Roker recalled, adding that he thought it was the “end of the story” but the issue resurfaced in 1986 while he served as Minister of National Security. At the time, Mr Roker said he was informed that a barge had departed Jacksonville, Florida loaded with sludge headed for Ocean Cay, off Bimini. He claimed that when the Americans flew their airplanes over Ocean Cay, they detected the barge riding “high” on the water, which suggested that the sludge had been unloaded.
“I went to cabinet and nobody seemed to know what I was talking about, but I said gentlemen, somebody must know,” Mr Roker recalled, adding that if nobody in cabinet knew about the vessel traveling to Ocean Cay, it was a good thing for him, as he would fly to Ocean Cay to ensure that this particular barge made its last trip to the Cay.
“The Prime Minister [Lynden Pindling] then told the minister that was responsible for Ocean Cay to bring the file tomorrow. The next day, the file turns up and it was found that preliminary approval was given for sludge to be brought to Ocean Cay to be recycled,” Mr Roker said. He claimed that the same person who gave the file to Sir Lynden, had only claimed a day earlier that he knew nothing about sludge being transported to Ocean Cay.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced on a radio talk show in January that one of two energy companies vying to construct an LNG pipeline in The Bahamas might be given approval at the end of that month. He said with respect to AES, he had indicated to the Virginia-based company that he may have given them approval by the end of December, but he wanted to further examine certain figures to determine if The Bahamas would significantly benefit. However, there has been no further announcement from the Prime Minister about the pipeline project and AES also told The Guardian in January that no green light has been given to the company to go ahead with the construction of a pipeline since the Prime Minister’s announcement.
Virginia-based AES Corp wants to build a gas pipeline between Ocean Cay, Bimini and Dania Beach, Florida. The company proposes to construct a terminal to receive liquefied natural gas via ocean tankers, store the liquid gas, re-convert it to natural gas through warming and send it to The United States via pipeline
The proposed Tractebel Calypso project recently merged with Texas El Paso, a once third contender wanting to construct an LNG pipeline in The Bahamas. The Tractebel project will transport natural gas via pipeline from the planned liquefied natural gas storage and re-gasification facility of its affiliate, Tractebel Bahamas LNG Limited in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The U.S. segment of the pipeline would make landfall at Port Everglades, Florida, then travel onshore to a proposed interconnection with the Florida Gas Transmission system adjacent to Florida Power and Light’s Lauderdale power plant. However, the Houston-based company is still negotiating with the Grand Bahama Port Authority to construct its LNG re-gasification terminal at the Freeport harbour and the government is having second thoughts, due to the location of the proposed facility.
Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
March 8, 2005
