Electricity Restored to 92 Per Cent of Customers in Record Time – Minister Vaz

Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, is reporting that 491,000 of the 542,000 customers who lost power due to Hurricane Melissa have now had their service restored.

“This means that 92 to 93 per cent of the customers have been restored in record time. As I speak, 51,000 of close to 700,000 customers are without power. Jamaica’s restoration response has performed well above regional peers and is close to best-in-class with a level of recovery that is commendable and reflects disciplined execution, collaboration and professional leadership,” Mr. Vaz said.

He was speaking during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 13).

Mr. Vaz informed that, two and a half months after the passage of the Category Five hurricane, important milestones have been achieved, despite severe engineering challenges and access constraints.

He stated that electricity has now been restored to all major hospitals and health centres, ensuring continuity of essential healthcare services across the island. He noted that the Black River Hospital, the final facility to be re‑energised, was brought back on stream on Christmas Day.

Meanwhile, the Minister reported that 93 per cent of National Water Commission (NWC) pumps and water treatment facilities islandwide have now been restored, reinforcing water security across Jamaica.

Mr. Vaz informed that long‑term system resilience is being strengthened through several measures, including the use of polecrete to improve resistance against pole uprooting, the installation of fibreglass components on transmission lines engineered to withstand Category Five conditions, and network redesigns aimed at reducing cascading, domino‑style failures.

“Restoration efforts continue in Hanover, Westmoreland, St James, Trelawny, and St Elizabeth, where work is focused on the most complex, last-mile challenges. As a nation, we must be clear about the reality of the remaining work. In the western region, what remains is not simply restoration. It is a redesign and rebuild,” he stated.

“The final phase requires infrastructure redesign and full rebuilds, compounded by access challenges, including new line routes, land access, installation of thousands of poles, and conductor stringing over long distances,” the Minister added.

Meanwhile, Mr. Vaz reported that electricity restoration is projected to reach 96 per cent by the end of January.

“Out of the 51,000 customers that remain, about 21,000 are not ready to receive electricity because of the level of damage in their districts and their communities,” he stated.

The Minister indicated that for the 21,000 dwellings destroyed and unable to receive electricity, re-connection will be facilitated through a partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), in order to help affected households regain access to power as quickly as possible.