The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says it is in the process of finalising details of the support that other energy companies in the region will provide its Hurricane Beryl restoration efforts.

Utility companies in Belize, Cayman, Guyana and Bermuda have so far confirmed their support, and discussions are ongoing with other utilities, who will confirm the availability of their teams by early next week, JPS said in a statement on Friday.

The light and power company said the hurricane restoration support to Jamaica is being provided through a mutual assistance programme managed by the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC), of which JPS is a member.

Although this is the first time in decades that JPS is seeking this kind of support, the company has provided similar support to other member utilities over the years, JPS said in the release.

“Linemen from the regional utility companies will begin arriving on the weekend. They will be assigned initially to support restoration work in St Elizabeth, the parish that was most badly affected by Category 4 Hurricane Beryl,” the release stated, adding that support of the CARILEC member utilities is expected to assist JPS in accelerating the restoration of its customers.

Hurricane Beryl brushed the island’s south coast on Wednesday, July 3, leaving most Jamaicans without electricity. Up to 24 hours after the passing of the storm, at least 55 per cent of customers remained disconnected.

On Tuesday, July 16, in a statement to Parliament, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said power had been restored to approximately 655,000 JPS customers, which represented 94.6 per cent of the customer base of the company.