Belco has said in no uncertain terms that it will not put the Island?s electrical cable underground as it will be too expensive ? despite pressure from the public to do so after Hurricane Fabian.

The electricity company said that the cost of putting all the cables, most of which are currently hung on poles by the roadside, underground would be $250 million.

And it would not be worth the cost to the company to put them underground without the help of Government funding.

?History and our experience has proven the direct correlation between the rare cases of extended power outages brought about by storms like Fabian and local interest in, and commitment to, investing the $250 million it would take to underground the entire Island over a 10 to 20 year period,? said the company in its annual report released this week.

?We have clearly stated that a private organisation like Belco could not, and would not, undertake such a mammoth programme.?

The annual report had a special section dedicated to Hurricane Fabian, which includes pictures and details of the extensive repair work carried out by Belco after the category three hurricane hit with gusts as high as 164 miles per hour.

The storm, which hit on September 5, left 25,000 homes or 76 percent of all metered connections without electricity and downed lines cost a total of $3.3 million to repair.

But Belco said in the report that if a major Island-wide undergrounding programme ever be considered, it would require ?total commitment? from Government and the community for funding, legislation, land and the acceptance of long term inconvenience.

?We also do not accept this type of investment from a community perspective,? said the report. ?Bermuda, like anywhere else in the world, has a number of competing needs requiring stable financial outlays and there are limits to resources, financial and other.

?Investing $250 million on an underground electricity system would not provide Bermuda any economic return and is a high price to pay for the potential reduction of inconvenience.?

And the report added that an underground system was no guarantee against power outages as both hurricanes Emily and Fabian produced damage to Belco?s underground system which they say takes longer to repair than overhead.

?We retain our position that, where affordable and feasible, we will underground portions of our system in conjunction with other capital work,? said the report. ?As we have done in the past 16 years following Hurricane Emily, and more intensely due to the damage brought about by Fabian, we will continue to strengthen and maintain the integrity of our overhead system, and where threatened by severe weather, we will build upon this latest experience to prepare and mobilise for the best response possible.?

Belco also reported that during the aftermath of the storm, for three weeks Belco crews and crews dispatched to help with the emergency by the Caribbean Association of Electric Utilities, and key personnel worked an average of 14 to 17 hour days.

Belco pledged to try to get most customers back on-line within three weeks of the storm, and staff worked round the clock in order to make the September 26 deadline.