JPS says power almost fully restored in St Elizabeth
Published:Sunday | August 25, 2024 | 11:12 AM
The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says it is on track to restore power to all its customers in St Elizabeth by its August 31 deadline.
"JPS is now on the verge of completing the power restoration," the country's main power provider said in a statement on Sunday.
It has urged residents to ensure their premises are ready to receive electricity by checking that their potheads, metre stands, or stanchions are in proper condition for reconnection.
JPS said that after full restoration is achieved in St Elizabeth, it plans to continue working in the parish to redesign, upgrade, and rebuild parts of the distribution network.
JPS has almost 38,000 customers in St Elizabeth. Up to August 10, the company said 13,712 customers were without power.
The company has said its distribution infrastructure in St Elizabeth was almost obliterated during the passage of the Category 4 Hurricane Beryl, which battered the southern section of the island on July 3.
JPS is also asking customers in areas where power has been restored, but who are still without electricity following the passage of Hurricane Beryl, to contact the company immediately.
"JPS is taking this approach as an added layer of confirmation to ensure that no customer is inadvertently omitted," it said.
The light and power company has struggled with missed deadlines, and more recently has been thrown into the spotlight over hikes in bills for July. It blamed fuel charges and foreign exchange issues but Energy Minister Daryl Vaz has rejected those reasons, demanding a recalculation.
Regulator, the Office of Utilities Regulation is investigating the company's billing practices.
Customers who are still without power can report their situation by calling the JPS Customer Care Centre at 888-CALLJPS (888-225-5577 for FLOW customers or 888-935-5577 for Digicel customers), reaching out via JPS's social media platforms @myjpsonline, or using the MyJPS Mobile App.
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