JPSCO summoned over power failure

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding has asked Minister of Energy, Mining and Telecommunications, Hon. Clive Mullings to meet with the Office of Utilities Regulation and the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. to ascertain the circumstances that led to this evening’s island wide power blackout.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 10, at 9 am.
The Prime Minister has asked the minister to examine the recommendations made by the Canadian team brought in to investigate the circumstances around the last all-island power outage on July 3, 2007, to see whether they were being applied and to determine if there was neglect on the part of the JPSCO.
The Prime Minister said: “We are moving swiftly to identify the underlying causes of this power failure. If it is found that there was negligence on the part of the power supply company appropriate sanctions will be applied. ”
Minister Mullings said last evening’s power outage resulted from a failure in the supply line between the Tredegar Park and Duhaney Park substations. There was low voltage on the line between Bellevue, Tredegar Park and Old Harbour substations, forcing the system to shut down.
Minister Mullings said: “There was no generator damage and the problem was purely distribution related. When I meet with the OUR and the JPSCO I will be seeking to determine whether the recommendations and guidelines that were made have been implemented.”
As at 8 p.m. power had been restored to more than 70,000 households, mainly in areas close to the main distribution centres.