JPS Installs Emergency Mobile Power Generation Unit in Darliston

Darliston in Westmoreland received a significant lifeline on Sunday (January 25), with the official commissioning of a 500-kilowatt emergency mobile power-generation unit, nearly three months after Hurricane Melissa tore through western Jamaica.

The temporary solution was set up at the Darliston Primary School by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the Government.

The unit will restore some semblance of normalcy to the community and surrounding areas that have been grappling without power since the category-five system struck on October 28 last year.

Addressing the commissioning ceremony, Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz, praised the JPS for meeting its commitment of having the unit installed.

“I’m so happy that, once again, JPS lived up to their commitment. In fact, every commitment that JPS has given me they have delivered, and we want to say to all the hard-working members of the JPS and the linesmen how appreciative we are,” Mr. Vaz said.

The Minister also mentioned a significant financial commitment to support recovery efforts in the western parishes.

He noted that under the National Energy Poverty Reduction Project, implemented through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the Government has allocated $165 million for house-wiring, remedial work and electrical regulator certification between December 2025 and March 2026.

“That means that other parishes that are not as badly affected, we have put those projects on hold and diverted the money to the five western parishes,” Mr. Vaz explained.

He said in December 2025, Westmoreland was at about 18 per cent with electricity restoration and that both Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth have since moved beyond 60 per cent.
Nationally, electricity restoration will reach 96 per cent by the end of January, with efforts continuing to reach full coverage by the end of February, he noted.

“Until we have reached 100 per cent where nobody is without light, then we have not completed the job,” Mr. Vaz said.

The emergency power unit at Darliston is supplying electricity to key public and social facilities in a bid to restart economic and community life in the area. Among the locations now powered are the health centre, police station, tax office, Maud McLeod High School, Darliston town square and nearby surrounding communities.

President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at JPS, Hugh Grant, said the company recognised that communities could not simply wait while rebuilding took place.

This, he noted, prompted the entity to implement temporary solutions for the first time in Jamaica.

“In Bethel Town in Westmoreland, I’m committing to you that by the end of the first week in February, we will be deploying another emergency mobile power-generation unit that will provide power to approximately 600 customers,” Mr. Grant underscored.

In the meantime, Mr. Grant pointed out that in the western region, more than 95 per cent of customers in Trelawny and Hanover now have electricity, over 90 per cent in St. James, and more than 60 per cent in both Westmoreland and St Elizabeth.

He acknowledged that the difficult final phase of restoration involves substantially more work to reach the few remaining customers but assured the public that JPS teams continue to work around the clock and will not become complacent despite the progress made.

For a resident, the return of electricity has brought much-needed relief. Darliston resident Josette Thompson expressed gratitude for the initiative, noting that the absence of power had caused stress and fear, particularly among children.

She welcomed the renewed sense of normalcy in the community and hoped that all remaining communities would soon be reconnected.