Dear Editor,

The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) notes the article published in the Jamaica Observer on May 24 entitled ‘Councillors call for JPS Audit’ which requires a response due to inaccuracies and possible lack of information on the part of the writer.

To begin with, the article refers to JPS as “State-run”, which is incorrect. To quickly clarify, JPS has been privately run since 2001. The company is 80 per cent owned by private investors — Marubeni Power Corporation and Korea East-West Power Co Ltd. The remaining shares are split as follows: Government of Jamaica, 19.9 per cent and a collection of smaller investors at 0.1 per cent. JPS is therefore not State-run.

On to the other matters. It is unfortunate that the named councillor perceives the increase in electricity costs as an indication that something must be wrong at JPS, given the clear and present global crisis around energy, food, and fuel costs. JPS is not immune to the ongoing situation with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has resulted in a spike in fuel costs worldwide. Perhaps they have not noticed the inflationary effect on the price of food, on the price of gasoline, and a host of other necessary items for everyday living. Since April 2021, the fuel cost on bills has moved from $19.59 to $28.49 in April 2022. Of note, the prices of goods and services, including food prices, have also increased by 11.8 per cent between April 2021 and April 2022, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin). Gasoline at the pumps has also moved, on average, over the same period, from $150 per litre to $200 per litre.

That said, we would be happy to examine the specific bills to which he has brought attention so that we can determine if there is any other factor affecting their costs.

On the matter of the responsiveness of the company to the specific case, we sincerely apologise. This is most definitely not a norm, and in fact, the company has been taking steps to improve service and more efficiently align our teams to our values of service and professionalism. We therefore apologise for this and assure you that we are taking steps to eliminate these anomalies.

On the matter of hurricane preparation, this is an ongoing process at JPS, with preparation being intensified as the season draws near. In fact, JPS has been conducting simulation exercises and doing on-the-ground preparation to optimise the integrity of the infrastructure.

We hope that this has helped to clarify any misunderstandings and assure our customers of our continued commitment to serve them with excellence.

Audrey Williams|

Media and public relations manager

Jamaica Public Service Company Limited

AuWilliams@jpsco.com