JPS launches programme to boost reliability
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) today launched the JPS Reliability 3.0 Programme, which it said is designed to improve reliability of the electricity service by 30 per cent over the next 3-5 years.
The initiative, among other improvements, is expected to see the average duration of outages experienced by customers in a one year period, drop from 29 hours to 20 hours.
JPS President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Emanuel DaRosa made the announcement at the company’s monthly media briefing, held at its New Kingston head office, a release from the company said this afternoon.
JPS said the programme will be supported this year by a budget of US$116 million or J$15.08 billion and will include new technology driven solutions; a proactive asset management strategy; and traditional grid maintenance and improvement initiatives.
Coming out of the initiative, the electricity company said customers can expect to see fewer outages; shortened duration of outages in those areas where the new technologies are being rolled out; and improved communication with customers on outages.
JPS said this is the third major phase of electricity reliability in the company’s history, adding that the first phase was in the 1970s when it collaborated with the Rural Electrification Programme to move access to electricity from 49 per cent coverage to today’s coverage of 98 per cent.
The second major phase, it said, occurred in 2003, when the construction of the Bogue Power Plant in Montego Bay effectively ended rolling black-outs across Jamaica, which were due to chronic shortfalls in power generation.