their public relations.

The utility is in advanced discussions to have residential electricity bills paid through the banks' ATMs.

And residents are already lining up and paying to have their power lines placed underground.

Further, Belco has virtually wiped out its soot problem by decommissioning a waste heat boiler plant from its Serpentine Road premises, that has long been a source of irritation for Belco's neighbours.

Belco president and CEO, Mr. Garry Madeiros, stated that those customers who have Bank of Bermuda automatic teller machine (ATM) cards will be able to pay their bill through the ATM facility. That service could be available as early as this month.

In order to use the service, customers must notify the bank of their desire to have this facility included in their ATM operations. Mr. Madeiros said that Belco is currently working with the Bank of Butterfield to have the service included in their ATM service product, as well.

The firm also noted that they decommissioned their DCCP (Diesel Combined Cycle Plant) or waste heat boiler plant, which had used heat generated by other power plant units, without the need for additional fuel, to generate about two megawatts of electricity.

Mr. Madeiros stated: "While the plant had provided an environmental benefit in terms of reduced fuel consumption, the DCCP plant was primarily responsible for soot problems in our surrounding neighbourhood.

"The investment required to operate the DCCP plant within the new environmental standards would have resulted in the plant operating at a negative cash flow.

"Given the retirement of older plant, the decommissioning of the DCCP plant and the installation of new generating units, we anticipate a significant decrease in our environmental impact this year.'' Mr. Madeiros also said: "The chances of a serious soot problem are now remote.'' And Belco has been swamped with requests for individual and neighbourhood underground service -- projects paid for by the applicants. The demand is so large that it has created a six-month back log on the start of new underground projects.

Mr. Madeiros said: "Most undergrounding scenarios require the customers to pay for it. In some instances Belco make a contribution to it and in some instances it's paid for all by the customer. That depends on what it is and what value it could be to Belco.

"But right now, there is definitely a bigger drive by customers to have certain things placed underground. And unfortunately, with all of the things that we have to do for our own organisational perspective in making sure our system is the best, and trying to put things underground where it is valuable for the company to have it so, it is putting a lot of pressure on resources.

"With all of the customer driven requests, it's become unbelievable.'' Mr. Madeiros said that the two reasons for the increased customer interest in undergrounding include the aesthetic advantages and the perception of a more secured power source.

The company had committed an annual sum of a million dollars to moving electricity cables underground and have been successful with a number of joint projects.

The firm is now investigating other technical and organisational alternatives in an effort to find a way to cope with large numbers of undergrounding requests.

Mr. Madeiros said: "We will still have to look at other ways of doing it.

Right now, if you look at it as a value for your investment, we have a problem.

"We are like any other company. We have to look at our investments in terms of what return we can get our of it. If we are spending millions of dollars on undergrounding, and getting no real return on that investment, we are actually affecting the long term financial security of the organisation, because you are not getting a return on the investment.

"At some point, it could be said that management is selling out the company, because the returns would be going down and down.

"If it is something that the Country wants, more and more undergrounding, then we have to find a better way of paying for it than just taking it out of what is paid in electricity rates.

"That's how it is paid for now. It is taken out of what we charge for electricity. Should we levy a surcharge to pay for it? It's something that has to be decided.'' MR. GARRY MADEIROS -- Belco president and CEO.