JPS Delivers on Restoration Targets Announced in November

(December 10, 2025)   JPS has delivered on its projected December restoration targets, which were announced at a media briefing held on November 13 in Montego Bay – thereby marking a major milestone in the national recovery effort following the passage of the devastating Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.

The company has now delivered on several commitments it had made to the nation in early November, as it tackled the tremendous task of rebuilding the transmission and distribution infrastructure which had suffered catastrophic damage from the hurricane. At the time, JPS President & CEO, Hugh Grant, had committed to restoring power to 95% of JPS’ customers in St Mary and Portland by the first week of December, and to 75% of customers across the parishes of Manchester, Clarendon and St. Ann by December 10.

In providing a progress update on the pace of restoration, Grant announced that JPS has now delivered on these commitments and, in most cases, has surpassed the targets. “With more than 96% of our customers in St Mary and Portland now with electricity, these parishes have joined Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas, as almost fully restored. A few customers across these parishes are still without power, and this is largely because of access challenges or issues unique to these customers’ premises,” he explained.

The JPS CEO also advised that significant headway has been made in the parishes targeted for restoration of 75% of customers by the second week of the month. “We are ahead of target in the parishes of Clarendon, Manchester and St Ann, with more than 80% of our customers in these parishes already restored,” he said.

“We have remained consistent in the execution of our strategy, which is to first target critical facilities including hospitals and water pumps, telecommunication sites, town centres and economic zones, in order to help get the economy going as quickly as possible after the unprecedented devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. This strategy has been working across all parishes, allowing us to get to critical milestones and deliver on our commitments to our customers,” Grant shared.

As it seeks to support economic recovery, JPS has been very intentional in its focus on the reenergization of the tourism sector in western Jamaica, which was hardest hit by the hurricane. The restoration of power to Montego Bay town and the Elegant Corridor in St James; to Norman Manley Boulevard and West End in Negril; to Falmouth town and Pier in Trelawny; and to the Ocho Rios Cruise Ship Pier and Dunn’s River in St Ann, are critical milestone achievements highlighted by the Company.

Across the island, approximately 83% of JPS’ entire customer base now has electricity. President and CEO, Hugh Grant, noted that this accomplishment is the result of round-the-clock effort by JPS teams and the additional line workers from overseas, supported by heightened partnerships with the Emergency Operation Centres across municipalities. “Our teams have been relentless,” Grant said. “Delivering on the restoration targets reflects their dedication, expertise and determination to bring relief to customers as quickly and safely as possible.”

The President expressed appreciation to the hundreds of line workers from Jamaica, the Caribbean and North America who have been instrumental in the restoration process. “As we enter the most challenging phase of restoration, it is this same grit and focus that will fuel our efforts. Our focus will be on rebuilding the network in the most badly affected western parishes – primarily in the parishes of Westmoreland, Hanover and St Elizabeth. We will do everything we can to get power to as many of our customers as possible in a safe and timely manner,” he promised.