KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says that the fishing village of Hopewell in Hanover is the newest community to legalise its electricity supply.

According to the JPS, prior to its intervention in the community, over 80 per cent of the electricity being used was illegally abstracted. That number has since been dramatically reduced to roughly 20 per cent, the power company said.

The JPS, in a release, said the fishing village consists of a combination of residential and small commercial customers who have moved from having illegal supply, to safe, reliable service.

The company said the legalisation process commenced after it conducted a needs assessment and embarked on an upgrading exercise of the network serving the community.

Additionally, the company said it engaged community members in preparation for their transition to becoming legal customers.

Following weeks of work, the installation of the upgraded infrastructure was completed at the end of May this year.

JPS said it continues to assist residents in the community to take the necessary steps to obtain supply, as the growth in legitimate customers from the community continues to trend upward.