JPS says 95% of customers in Portland and St Mary will have power by first week of December

The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says 95% of customers in Portland and St Mary will have power by the first week of December, as the company continues restoration efforts across the island.

JPS also indicated that 75% of customers in St Ann, Clarendon, and Manchester will have service restored by December 10.

JPS President and CEO, Hugh Grant, shared the update during a media briefing in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, on Thursday, at which he advised that overall, 67% of JPS’ customers now had electricity.

The update comes following the restoration of power to over 95% of customers in Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas, within two weeks of the passage of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.

Grant noted that despite the wrath that the system unleashed on the island, the company had managed to prevent a total shutdown of the grid, resulting in 23% of its customer base staying connected during the hurricane.

“Our teams are working 24/7 and are finding creative ways to bring as many customers on board as safely and as quickly as possible,” Grant said.

The company advised that extensive work was being carried out in the hardest hit parishes of the island.

“We are continuing damage assessment in the parishes in the west, while working to repair critical elements of our energy delivery infrastructure. The transmission system, which represents the backbone of the power system that moves electricity across the island, was extensively damaged in these parishes. Without this backbone infrastructure, we cannot get supply back to our customers,” Grant explained.

“We promised that we would be in the parish of Trelwany this week, and we have delivered on this promise. Several sections of Trelawny have already begun receiving power, with Falmouth Hospital, the Pier and the town of Falmouth now energized,” Grant said.

In providing an update on the other parishes in the west, the JPS President & CEO said the company is making steady progress in St Elizabeth, with Santa Cruz now energized, joining Junction and Southfield and several surrounding communities, which were energized over the past few days.

“We are also making headway in St James, having energized several critical water pumps, hospitals, Fairview, and the Freeport business centre. And, by the end of next week, we will start restoring power to our customers in Hanover and Westmoreland.”

“This rebuild will be difficult because of the significant widespread damage to the network. But we are up to the task,” Grant affirmed.

“We now have over 600 line workers on the job – including more than 300 from North America and the Caribbean, and we are bringing in more than 60 additional bucket trucks and specialized equipment to help expedite the restoration. We remain unwavering in our commitment to restore power safely and as quickly as possible to every home and every business. We thank our workers for their continued dedication, and our partners for their support and commitment, and you – our customers – for your patience and understanding,” he said.

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