JPS CEO meets with key stakeholders in Westmoreland ahead of major grid rebuild

(Negril – November 23, 2025) JPS President and CEO, Hugh Grant, met with political representatives and members of the business community in Westmoreland on Saturday, as the company continues its island-wide recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa.

The engagement comes as the President continues to tour sections of the most severely impacted parishes to see the damage to JPS infrastructure firsthand. These tours inform  the company’s plans in relation to redesigning and rebuilding critical sections of the grid in the hardest-hit parishes: Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny and St. Elizabeth.

As promised, sections of Westmoreland and Hanover began receiving power several days ago, with the energization of various commercial buildings in Negril. The immediate priority, Grant noted, is bringing critical services and key town centres back online, consistent with JPS’ restoration protocol. This, he says, is essential to stimulate economic activity and help residents return to work as quickly as possible, so they can continue to earn.

Speaking to the devastation, Grant shared: “The damage done to the network is immense. Kilometres of wooden and concrete poles are down across the parish. I was able to be on the ground in Darliston with Dr. Dayton Campbell, and as I explained to him, restoration for the West will take some time. We understand how difficult it has been to be without electricity for so long, but I assure you that our teams are working around the clock to deliver for our most important stakeholders — our customers.”

In addition to meeting Dr. Campbell, Grant also met with Dwayne Vaz, MP for Westmoreland Central, in Paradise, St. James, and Ian Hayles, MP for Westmoreland Western, in Negril. He further engaged business leaders and representatives of the Negril Chamber of Commerce to align on ongoing efforts to energize sections of the West that serve the largest number of customers.

The JPS boss emphasized the need for continued partnership as communities push toward recovery, citing the utility’s participation at both local and national Emergency Operation Centers (EOCs), and their continued work with all the players crucial to Jamaica bouncing back.

He noted that while the task ahead is great, there is strong confidence among the JPS teams, especially with the recent arrival of more than 70 bucket trucks, to intensify restoration efforts.

“We have the manpower and we have the equipment to get the work done. We continue to ask for the public’s patience and trust. We are well equipped to deliver for Jamaica and we won’t stop until every customer is restored.”