JPS Fulfils Promised December Targets
Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has confirmed that it has fulfilled its December restoration commitments, hitting the benchmarks laid out during a media briefing on 13 November in Montego Bay. This marks a major step forward in the national recovery efforts following the destructive Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
According to the company, multiple promises made earlier in November have now been completed as crews continued rebuilding the heavily damaged transmission and distribution network. During the briefing last month, JPS President & CEO Hugh Grant pledged that 95% of customers in St Mary and Portland would have power by early December, with 75% restored in Manchester, Clarendon and St Ann by 10 December.
Providing an update on restoration progress, Grant reported that those objectives have been met and, in several cases, exceeded.
“With more than 96% of our customers in St Mary and Portland now with electricity, these parishes have joined Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas, as almost fully restored,” he said. He noted that a small number of customers remain out of service because of access issues or property-specific challenges.
Progress in parishes where 75% restoration was originally targeted by the second week of December has also advanced beyond expectations. “We are ahead of target in the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St Ann, with more than 80% of our customers in these parishes already restored,” Grant confirmed.
JPS says its restoration approach prioritised essential services first, including hospitals, water pumps, telecoms sites, town centres and economic hubs. This method, the company stated, allowed for faster recovery and helped vital sectors rebound after the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.
A particular emphasis has been placed on tourism-heavy western Jamaica, which sustained the most severe impacts. Power has now returned to Montego Bay town and the Elegant Corridor in St James, Norman Manley Boulevard and West End in Negril, Falmouth town and Pier in Trelawny, and the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier and Dunn’s River in St Ann.
Islandwide, JPS reports that approximately 83% of its total customer base is now reconnected. Grant highlighted that the achievement reflects nonstop work by local teams and additional overseas line crews, along with coordination with municipal Emergency Operation Centres. “Our teams have been relentless,” he said. “Delivering on the restoration targets reflects their dedication, expertise and determination to bring relief to customers as quickly and safely as possible.”
Acknowledgement was also extended to line workers from Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and North America who have assisted in restoration.
Looking ahead, Grant stated that attention will now shift to the hardest-hit western parishes. “Our focus will be on rebuilding the network in the most badly affected western parishes – primarily in the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover and St Elizabeth. We will do everything we can to get power to as many of our customers as possible in a safe and timely manner,” he added.
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