JPS Restoring Electricity in St. James

The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is advancing electricity restoration efforts in St. James, following widespread outages caused by the recent passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Speaking during an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) meeting at the St. James Municipal Corporation in Montego Bay on Thursday (November 6), JPS’s Director of Customer Solutions, Leroy Reid, said the company is steadily re-energising critical facilities and communities under a structured restoration plan.

He explained that St. James is currently operating as an isolated “power island”, relying solely on local generation capacity.

“The Bogue generation plant is now up and running. We have begun the process of energising, consistent with the strategy we outlined last time we were here,” he said.

Mr. Reid noted that critical water facilities remain the first priority, with work ongoing to restore the Catherine Mount 1 and 2 pumping stations and the Great River Treatment Plant.

“Within four days, we expect Catherine Mount 1 and 2 to be energised,” he said, adding that the Great River facility is expected to have power restored within 10 days.

Work is also advancing to reconnect the Cornwall Regional Hospital (CRH), which has been operating on generator power since the hurricane.

“We expect that within four days, the Cornwall Regional Hospital will have JPS power. The work is significantly advanced, and my personal hope is that we can beat that timeline,” Mr. Reid said.

He added that the company is working to restore gas supply to its local power plant via the Xcelerate Energy (formerly New Fortress Energy (NFE)) facility in Freeport.

“We are building out the line down to that location, and within 14 days we expect to have the feeder that serves NFE sorted,” he said.

Meanwhile, several communities have already begun to receive electricity.

“We were able to bring on board a couple of communities last night, including Montego West Village, Bogue Village, Bogue Heights, parts of Reading, and parts of Ramble,” Mr. Reid reported.

He acknowledged that many residents are anxious to have their electricity restored but urged patience as the company prioritises essential services and major infrastructure.

“The critical facilities must be powered first – water, hospital, and getting gas to the plant,” he emphasised.

Mr. Reid said JPS teams are also working towards restoring electricity along the Rose Hall corridor to re-energise hotels, as well as the Fairview commercial district and Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) facilities in Freeport.

However, he cautioned that significant transmission infrastructure damage remains a major challenge.

“Between Bogue and Queen’s Drive, at the airport, and between Queen’s Drive and Rose Hall, there was significant damage. We have to get those cleared before we can distribute power in those areas,” he informed.

Mr. Reid assured residents that the company remains committed to restoring service safely and efficiently.

“We thank you for your patience and understanding. We’re working for you,” he said.