Christmas joy…JPS mobile power unit to bring electricity to Black River on Thursday

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), Hugh Grant, has announced that electricity will be restored to key facilities and major sections of Black River, St Elizabeth, by Thursday night, following weeks of disruption caused by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

This restoration will be made possible through the use of a mobile power generation unit.

“I have good news for Black River. Because of the strong partnerships, the innovation, and our awareness of the devastation and the urgent need for power, we have developed creative solutions and streamlined our work to have electricity restored to Black River Hospital, the town of Black River, the police station, and other major centres by tomorrow night (Thursday),” Grant said.

He was speaking on Wednesday morning at the official launch of the JPS Emergency Mobile Power Generation Unit in Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, a key component of the utility’s accelerated disaster-response strategy.

Hurricane Melissa inflicted extensive damage across St Elizabeth in October, tearing off roofs, uprooting utility poles, flooding communities, and knocking out electricity to thousands of homes and businesses.

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Critical infrastructure, including health facilities, police stations, and municipal services, was among the hardest hit, compounding the hardship for residents already grappling with housing damage and limited access to basic services.

Grant said the deployment of the mobile generation unit reflects lessons learned from recent disasters and JPS’s commitment to building resilience.

“This unit allows us to respond faster, be more flexible, and ensure that critical services are not left in the dark for extended periods,” he explained.

He emphasised that collaboration has been central to the progress now being made.

“It is the partnerships with government agencies, local authorities, and our own dedicated teams on the ground that have made this possible,” Grant said.

The JPS chief also acknowledged the frustration of residents who have endured prolonged outages.

“We understand how difficult this period has been, especially after the level of devastation Hurricane Melissa brought to St Elizabeth, and we want people to know that restoring power safely and quickly remains our priority,” he said.

The emergency mobile power unit is expected to play a critical role in stabilising electricity supply in disaster-prone communities as recovery efforts continue across the parish.

Regarding electricity restoration nationwide, Grant said JPS has so far restored 88 per cent of service.

- Albert Ferguson