Hurricane Ivan plunged Grand Cayman into darkness, but restoration of the electricity supply is proceeding apace with the help of electric utilities from across the region and other countries, including Bermuda.

"We're moving along and every day gets a little better," said Caribbean Utilities Company president and chief executive officer Peter Thomson.

Still the challenges facing the Cayman Islands' sole electricity provider are formidable.

Mr. Thomson is predicting a major shortage of supplies and equipment for the region within the next year.

"One of the problems that we've faced here is that we are competing for goods and services," Mr. Thomson said.

"Florida got beat up pretty badly, as you well know.

"And as an example Southern Company has bought all the poles ? 35,000 poles ? in the US. They've basically taken out all the poles. We were fortunate, we managed to get our poles here and we had sufficient quantity that we had already purchased or had on the way, but that is going to be a serious problem over the next 12 months."

Conductors had to be sourced from Ecuador because they could not be found in the United States, he added.

"One of the keys for our restoration has been our strategic alliances with people like Fortis (a major shareholder) and other companies in the industry.

"In some cases we've been able to source our transformers in the US, in other cases we've had to source electrical equipment all the way up to Canada.

You're making phone calls and other utility companies have been helping out. But there is going to be an interesting shortage over the next 12 months ? everywhere."

Mr. Thomson noted, however, that he had seen no signs so far of rising prices.

Shipping the supplies, once found, has also been a problem. CUC lost about 400 poles to Ivan, 175 of which were 60-foot to 70-foot transmission poles.

Shippers only put about a dozen of the longer poles on their ships so CUC decided to charter its own ship to bring all their supplies to Grand Cayman.

"It's turned out to be much cheaper. That's another lesson that we have learned which I would pass on to all my utility brethren, so to speak. At the end of the day it's probably cheaper to bring in your own ship," and takes control of the cargo away from the shipping company, Mr. Thomson said.

Another major lesson was the company's decision to install concrete poles and concrete bunkered sub-stations, all of which survived Ivan.

Those decisions were made after 1988's Hurricane Gilbert, which was relatively mild compared to Ivan.

And redesigns and expansion plans to accommodate galloping growth, carried out through the nineties, left the utility well prepared for the severest of storms.

"We were kind of criticised for spending that kind of money, but the money that we spent saved the Island," he said.

"At the end of the day you get what you pay for."

CUC had calculated that the maximum storm surge would be up to ten to 11 feet, and redesigned its sensitive equipment to 11 feet.

Ivan's flood waters peaked at ten feet and left most of their equipment and pumps unscathed.

"The fact that we went ten or 11 feet up saved our bacon and the substations being gas insulated substations in hardened bunkers saved our bacon.

"Concrete poles saved our bacon," Mr. Thomson continued.

"I certainly don't wish this had happened, but at the end of the day, the standards that we set were what effectively allowed us to get the financial district back within a week, to get some of the major customers back when we did. If not we could have been driven back to the stone age."

A nine-member crew from Belco was expected to join CUC this weekend.

"We've gotten quite a bit of assistance from other utilities in the Caribbean, we've had crews from Barbados and Belize and another crew coming in from the Turks and Caicos."

Belco chief Gary Madeiros had offered help almost immediately after the storm, he said.

That kind of immediate assistance is due to CUC's membership in CARILEC, the regional association of electric utilities.

"Once again we've been able to get four Caribbean countries to help us. And I know that if I made the phone call, I would get even more assistance," Mr.

Thomson said.

CUC has a normal complement of 26 linesman, but with the overseas personnel the labour force has been boosted to more than 100.

They have managed to restore electricity to 65 percent of Georgetown and 3,500 of its more than 20,000 customers have been re-energized.

The company hopes to beat its 90-day deadline for complete restoration and is working closely with the Planning Department which certifies buildings as fit to be reconnected.

"I've got to give credit to my staff here. Let's face it, about 20 percent of our people lost their homes and these guys are putting in their time and they have their own hardships. And that's another story."

Like the vast majority of Cayman residents, Mr. Thomson was rendered homeless by Ivan. He spent the next ten days living in his office until he could find a small apartment.

"There are a lot of people, even up to my position who are wondering where they are going to be living by November/December."