JPS and community representatives tour sections of Westmoreland as restoration nears completion

(KINGSTON, Jamaica — May 13, 2026) After months of intensive work across the island, JPS says power restoration efforts are now in their final stages, with fewer than one per cent of their customer base still awaiting reconnection.

On Thursday, May 7, representatives of the JPS leadership team were joined by Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern, Dr. Dayton Campbell, and Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Danree Delancy, for a tour of several of the remaining communities awaiting restoration.

The tour began at the JPS office in Paradise, where the delegation got a first-hand look at infrastructure being integrated into the restoration effort to strengthen the resilience of the electricity network and support the delivery of more reliable service. The team then visited Cave Mountain, Kentucky, Cedar Valley and Bognie, before ending the tour in Pinnock Shafton.

Senior Vice President for Energy Delivery at JPS, Blaine Jarrett, said the final phase of restoration has required extraordinary effort from teams operating under very challenging conditions.

“Our teams have spent the last several months working tirelessly to restore service to customers, often in very difficult terrain and under demanding circumstances,” Jarrett said. “The remaining areas represent some of the most complex restoration work on the island, with narrow access roads, hilly communities and significant infrastructure damage.”

Jarrett shared that he was particularly moved by the level of support being provided by residents to the restoration crews as they faced challenges in safely executing repairs, particularly managing the work area due to unruly motorists in remote locations.

“The resilience of our customers is unmatched,” he shared. “They have been very patient as they themselves have witnessed the teams having to wait-it-out when the weather prevented progress. In fact, cumulatively, our teams lost about seventeen days of work due to rains, but the residents have demonstrated tremendous understanding and empathy for the challenges encountered. Despite those challenges, our crews have remained focused and committed to delivering for our customers.”

Jarrett noted that while under 1,000 customers island-wide are still awaiting restoration, nearly 40 per cent of those cases involve damage to customers’ own electrical infrastructure, including potheads, stanchions or, in some cases, severe structural damage requiring a rebuild of the premises.

“In many of these areas, supply will become available before some customers are able to safely receive electricity,” he explained. “We continue to appeal to customers to liaise with local authorities and licensed electricians to complete house wiring repairs and recertification so they can be reconnected safely.”

As the restoration programme winds down, the company says it remains committed to working closely with customers, community leaders and frontline teams to ensure no customer is left behind.