OUR establishes special team for JPS blackout investigation

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has established a special internal team to oversee the regulatory response to the recent islandwide blackout, following its review of a preliminary report submitted by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).

The regulator said the team has been tasked with providing direction to JPS, undertaking the necessary preparations for a comprehensive review of the incident, and examining the utility company's final report when it is submitted. 

It said the review will assess the validity of the report, the relevance of JPS's recommendations and the actions proposed by the company going forward.

According to the OUR, the team has also been authorised to advise the regulator on the resources required to conduct a thorough examination of the blackout, including the possible engagement of external experts. 

It will also be responsible for making its own recommendations and identifying any regulatory actions that may be necessary.

The OUR stressed that no conclusions or enforcement actions can be drawn from the preliminary report at this stage, noting that the document provides only a limited analysis of the root causes of the outage.

"The preliminary report, however, is a helpful signpost to alert the OUR to immediate post-restoration concerns, and to enable the regulator to give further directions to JPS as to the expected scope and the critical inputs that must be addressed in JPS's investigation and reflected in the final detailed report, which is due within thirty (30) days of the full restoration of electricity," said OUR Director-General Ansord E. Hewitt.

The regulator said the special team will play a key role in ensuring that all aspects of the incident are thoroughly examined and that any future measures needed to strengthen the reliability of the electricity system are identified.

In its preliminary report, JPS stated that its immediate review of the outage and the operational measures implemented after power was restored did not reveal any immediate or ongoing concerns regarding grid stability.

The utility company reported that the blackout was preceded by multiple faults affecting critical transmission infrastructure in the Corporate Area during a period of heavy rainfall and lightning activity.

JPS also indicated that its initial investigations point to a possible misoperation of the primary protection scheme associated with the Hunts Bay-Rockfort 69kV transmission line.

According to the company, these factors combined to create prolonged fault conditions, triggering cascading generator trips that ultimately resulted in system-wide instability and a complete shutdown of the electricity network.

The final report from JPS is expected within 30 days of the full restoration of electricity and will form the basis of the OUR's detailed assessment of the incident and any regulatory measures that may follow.

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