$150M loan secured for Western Jamaica electricity restoration, 300 linemen to arrive before Christmas
Toriann Ellis / Our Today
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Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport Daryl Vaz says after long negotiations with the Jamaica Public Service, the $150M loan for the accelerated restoration of electricity to Western Jamaica has been signed off on.
This loan will facilitate an additional 300 linemen and equipment arriving in Jamaica within a few weeks before Christmas, working through into the New Year.
“This will also facilitate the extension of the service of the 170 linemen currently in Jamaica, whose engagement would have ended this week,” Vaz said.
According to Vaz, the original plan was for the current teams to be demobilised this week, but the government intervened to keep them in place.
He noted that the reinforced crews will push national restoration from 80 per cent to 90 per cent during Christmas and the new year, acknowledging that the new schedule is far quicker than JPS’s original projections, which showed some communities could have been waiting until May 2026.
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