Dear Editor,

The president and CEO of the Jamaica Public Service Co Mrs Kelly Tomblin has been in the news recently expressing concern about the financial state of the company. She was on the front page of the Daily Observer with the headline: ‘JPS Facing Death’.

Kelly Tomblin is a breath of fresh air to the company. Appointed to the CEO position in 2012, she knew she was entering a hostile environment with JPS being public enemy number one. In that context, she faced the challenge head-on and has done some remarkable things in a short time.

She is changing the company culture. She is seen out among her troops with a power saw, setting up an energy shop, on income-generating runs, publicly assigning her troops to the parishes, urging better customer relations and tackling the stealing of electricity and the freeness mentality of many Jamaicans.

But we need to be concerned about the health of the JPS as Jamaica owns nearly a 20 per cent share of the company. Kelly Tomblin staked out the company’s problem of debt — with some lender covenants being broken by the company — and the huge theft of electricity by both small and big.

Add a huge fine by the OUR, the organisation that owes its financing to a cess from the JPS and the other utilities. The irony is that when people who have been having ‘free light’ for years lose that benefit, they describe the company as being “wicked”.

This is the cultural problem the company and Jamaica, for its own moral health and national integrity, face. The public has been fed a number of myths from various sources. Here are some of them.

Myth Number One: JPS rates are among the highest in the region. The Caribbean rate schedules, published (mid-2011) by the Caribbean Electric Utility Service Corporation which serves the regional territories, shows the JPS rates as being midway on the scale.

Myth Number Two: Lower electricity rates are on the immediate horizon. This is not true, and whether it is stated by the minister or the head of the PSOJ makes no difference. Greater efficiency can help, but a new power plant — some years away — is a key element in that equation.

Myth Number Three: Breaking up the JPS monoply will be good for Jamaica. Cure’s court victory is a pipe dream and when the lead attorney suggests that the Government sell its shares and take over the distribution lines, we need our heads examined. Furthermore, one government minister is for a split-up, while another senior advisor argues that a monopoly is necessary for a small market like Jamaica. Who do we believe?

Myth Number Four: We can be fully independent of the JPS. For the average householder or business operation, such attempts will cost the proverbial arm and a leg. Yes, it may be possible to reduce the bill and be largely independent for daytime operations, but there will come a time when a utility back-up is necessary.

One concern is the fact that storage systems (mainly the common battery) are at a technological plateau, so that the power generated in sunlight or with wind has to be stored for darkness or stillness. In addition, solar systems have their problems too.

Myth Number Five: We have to recognise that any reduction of our light bill will require expenditure, two critical personal action initiatives and lifestyle changes:

* Expenditure will have to be made on more efficient lighting devices — fluorescent bulbs, energy-efficient equipment, or even solar or wind systems; and

* Conscious effort will have to be made to adopt a more disciplined social and operational lifestyle.

It is clear that Kelly Tomblin is a determined, innovative and tough JPS CEO. She is committed to partnering with Jamaica in making energy more efficient and less costly. We need to wish her well. I, for one, do so.

Alfred Sangster

sangsteralfred@yahoo.com