JPS Welcomes media into its 24/7 Incident Command Centre

(Kingston – October 24, 2025) Maximizing the use of more advanced technology will be a key part of JPS’ response to Tropical Storm Melissa. That is the word coming from the President and CEO of JPS, Hugh Grant at a media engagement held at their Kingston head office. The occasion gave a glimpse into the power company’s Incident Command operations and some of the tools used to monitor performance of the grid. “In the spirit of transparency, we welcome the media into our Incident Command Centre to get a view of all the work that goes on behind the scenes as part of our 24-hour operation,” Grant noted.

Also speaking to members of the press, Lance Becca, Chief Operating Officer, explained what operations under the new structure consisted of: “The Incident Command is a central body of the company comprised of members trained in various storm roles,” Becca shared. The activation of the structure facilitates centralised coordination of material and human resources to help reduce risks associated with emergency response.”

As part of the session, Senior Vice President of Energy Delivery, Blaine Jarrett, gave a live demonstration of the Disaster Operations Dashboard, designed to highlight outages island-wide with a national, parish and community view. The dashboard allows the company to get near real-time updates of percentages of customers experiencing an outage whether nationally or at the parish or community level, following which, the Company takes steps to address the issues.

In addition, media representatives were given a live view of the JPS transmission network, connected directly to the company’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This platform provides engineers and system controllers with immediate visibility into grid status, and the company’s ability to send power to the distribution network, ultimately keep customers connected.

“JPS continues to invest in digital infrastructure and data visualization to strengthen Jamaica’s energy resilience in the face of intensifying weather systems,” Jarrett said. He continued: “While our primary goal is to ensure customers stay connected to the grid, we must prioritize the safety and well-being of our team members and the general public