CABINET ministers on Monday joined Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Minister Daryl Vaz in his bid to get the Office of Utilities (OUR) to act on urgent matters concerning the Jamaica Public (JPS) to ensure the entity is held accountable.

A major area of concern is that several JPS customers are still without power following the passage of Hurricane Beryl more than three weeks ago, and Vaz has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the pace at which the restoration is being carried out.

In light of growing concerns about the slow pace of electricity restoration, Cabinet at its meeting on Monday, invited representatives from the OUR to the post-Cabinet press briefing scheduled for Wednesday, July 31, 2024, to provide a comprehensive update on the steps taken by the regulator to ensure speedy restoration of electricity.

Vaz, in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Monday, said that it was at his insistence that the OUR team was invited to Cabinet on Monday morning, and to update the media on Wednesday.

“Cabinet summoned OUR to indicate to them their dissatisfaction, and I’m hoping with that we will hear the voice of the OUR and get some action to repair the lines, and restore [power to] the people for Independence and Emancipation. I’m tired of it,” Vaz said, adding that he will continue to defend the customers and the people of Jamaica for what he deems the mishandling of the restoration by JPS.

Vaz said he made it clear that the JPS’s timelines for power restoration that have been missed and the new timelines, which end on August 12, are totally unacceptable to him as minister, and by extension the Government and the people of Jamaica. He insisted that the OUR has to hold JPS to account as it has the authority to do so.

“What I am exerting is political muscle because I have no regulatory authority over the JPS as minister of energy. The fact is that I have done as much as I can do within my power as a minister. And this is now over to the OUR to work with me and to assist me, from the regulatory standpoint, to put the pressure on JPS… I truly look forward to the OUR coming out and being more aggressive in defence of the customers of the JPS,” Vaz said.

In a subsequent media release from the Office of the Prime Minister, it was disclosed that during the meeting, Cabinet members voiced their concerns with the OUR’s lack of advocacy as an independent regulator during this critical period.

“As the empowered authority, the OUR is mandated to hold the JPS accountable and to communicate effectively with the public,” the release said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness also emphasised the importance of timely and transparent communication from the OUR and the regulated entities, highlighting that it is crucial for maintaining public trust and confidence in the existing regulatory framework that prescribes an independent regulator.

Holness also expressed dissatisfaction with the current pace of electricity restoration efforts, emphasising the urgent need for swift and effective action to resume this critical public utility.

“Several communities across the southern belt of Jamaica have been severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl and are still without electricity. This prolonged outage has caused significant hardship for residents and businesses, prompting an urgent need for accurate, comprehensive updates and reassurances from the responsible entities,” the release said.

In the meantime, according to a Jamaica Observer source, last Friday’s squall line which hit the eastern, through to the western end of the island, left some customers without power up to Monday morning. There was, however, assurance of a power restoration to all 269 remaining customers by Monday afternoon.

The source said the major damage was created by the wind that caused tree limbs and fallen trees to interfere with the lines.

“This extreme wind occurrence caused blown fuses, that actuated protecting lives and equipment as expected. [There were] two cases of leaning poles and broken wires. The replacement of the fuses has to be done line segment by line segment,” the source said.

On Friday evening, approximately 10,000 customers were affected in sections of the parishes of St Thomas, Kingston and St Andrew, Clarendon and St Catherine.

By Saturday, at 12:00 pm, 6,000 customers remained affected; by Sunday at 4:00 pm, 485 customers remained affected; and at 9:00 am on Monday 269 customers were still without power.