Following the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz, yesterday (July 12), conducted a tour of the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) control centre to assess the impact on the country’s energy infrastructure.

During the tour, Minister Vaz inspected various facilities, with respect to distribution networks and the “nerve centre” of the company.  The minister was accompanied by permanent secretary Carol Palmer, other senior officials from the ministry, and technical experts to assess the damage, and discuss the restoration programme.

Vaz sought to get a full status report on the state of the island-wide assessment and recovery efforts and emphasized to the JPS team the importance of providing a comprehensive report on the assessment of damage and restoration efforts across the island. 

The company should also provide a detailed schedule of the ongoing restoration efforts to include the specific areas not just parishes and outline where there are pockets of no electricity especially when it’s amongst areas that have had power restored.

“I informed the team at JPS that they need to provide me with a schedule of the restoration of electricity to the people of Jamaica by parish, community, district, street, and lane. It has been over a week and many Jamaicans are still without power. I understand that the network suffered significant damage, nonetheless power must be restored to the people.” Minister Vaz stated.

The minister further highlighted that the JPS Co. needs to submit an up-to-date and effective communications plan to ensure that clear, accurate information is shared with the public.

“I have instructed the JPS to also provide the details of additional assistance that it has engaged beyond its normal contractors.  For example, I was advised of the engagement of contractors who work with other private entities to bolster the technical support to speed up the restoration time. I await the detailed and comprehensive reports on all these critical areas so that I am able to properly update the prime minister and the Cabinet on Monday”, the minister finished.