Energy and Telecommunications Minister Daryl Vaz has taken the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to task for reportedly not providing accurate data regarding power restoration and timelines.

Vaz who was speaking in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 23), said he had major issues with the response management of the company.

“I have major issues with the response management in relation to where we are after three weeks. These include JPS’s original estimate given to Cabinet in relation to restoration, two weeks ago, which has been missed. JPS’s deadlines published for parish-by-parish restoration have been missed,” Vaz said.

Additionally, Vaz said areas where the power company has indicated that power has been restored have not been restored following the necessary checks.

“I had a situation just yesterday where the member from north-central Clarendon showed me sections of Mocho and when I made inquiries and asked him to give me evidence, over 50 per cent of Mocho was not restored, so therefore, Madam Speaker, we have to give accurate and detailed information to reduce the frustration and the misery index,” Vaz noted.

He said that based on the missed deadlines by the company, the projected date for full restoration continues to be delayed.

“When you missed deadlines that were set for the 17th–19th and you moved them over into the 20th–22nd, which ended yesterday, then obviously the workload has not lessened and therefore other areas that are to come back on track are pushed back,” Vaz stressed.

As of July 22, the company reported that 19,000 of the total customer base of 692,000 remain without electricity, excluding residents of St. Elizabeth. JPS has given a timeline of August 5th for full restoration for the hardest hit customers.

The energy minister said following his last meeting with the light and power provider last Saturday, he has asked the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to convene another meeting with JPS.

Meanwhile, Vaz says he has sent a letter from the JPS—where it advised customers that electricity bills this month may be estimated due to the impact of the hurricane—to the OUR and the Attorney General for their response.

He described the move by the company as ‘insensitive’ and ‘unacceptable’ for Jamaicans still without electricity.

In a subsequent statement on Tuesday evening, acting JPS president Damian Obiglio disclosed that while the company understood public anxieties surrounding estimated bills it “had very little choice” amid operational disruptions induced by Hurricane Beryl’s passage nearly three weeks ago.

“In light of the likely impact on our customers, JPS has subsequently submitted a proposal to the Office
of Utilities Regulation (OUR) requesting a review of the mechanism for calculating estimated bills,
specifically for customers impacted by extended outages as a result of Hurricane Beryl. The objective is
to minimise the impact on persons who could end up being worst off (sic) as a result of being estimated
using the regulatory prescribed methodology,” Obiglio explained.

Concurrently, JPS launched a Hurricane Beryl Relief Programme, which sees over 350,000 affected residential customers receiving a 20 per cent discount off bills up to 150 kWh of electricity or less for July.

This discount will be applied to current charges and will be reflected on bills that customers will start receiving in August. Active prepaid residential customers will get a one-off J$1,500 top-up electricity credit on their accounts.