KINGSTON, Jamaica— The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) on Thursday said it is committed to spearheading an in-depth post-Beryl evaluation of the resilience of the electricity sector.

The evaluation, the OUR said, will span the preparation for the hurricane, its impact and restoration activities.

“The assessment will seek to identify culpability (if, or where it exists), gaps, areas for improvement, policy and legislative recommendations to ensure the resilience of the utility infrastructure, improved communication with stakeholders, and enhanced disaster recovery. This should provide a basis for further policy and legislative recommendations as deemed necessary,” OUR said.

The regulatory body added that it will continue to engage with the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) to ensure that the restoration activities in St Elizabeth are expedited and that all customers are restored to the grid.

“JPS’s latest report to the OUR – dated 2024, August 21 – indicates that between 2024, August 19-20, 34,549 (91.4 per cent) of its St Elizabeth customers now have their electricity supply, with 3,247 unrestored. There are still 37 customers in pockets of communities in Westmoreland, Manchester, Clarendon, Portland, and St Thomas who JPS claims are awaiting the resolution of specific obstructions to have their supplies restored,” the OUR said.

JPS had previously stated that power would be fully restored to St Elizabeth by August 31, 2024.

The OUR informed that JPS maintains that it is on track to complete full restoration in the parish by the deadline. The agency said, however, that the light and power company has also reported that it has faced challenges caused by adverse weather conditions.

“While not taking up the OUR’s recommendation to provide specific restoration dates for each location, the company said that it has integrated an external liaison within its incident command structure to engage daily with key stakeholders including members of Parliament, mayors, community leaders, and disaster planning coordinators in the parish, ensuring customers are updated on the restoration progress in their respective communities,” the OUR said.

“Regarding JPS’s discretionary measures considered and/or already available for the relief of customers in St Elizabeth and elsewhere, it will be contributing $50 million to customers in St Elizabeth without power after August 12, and providing discounts on building supplies, extending payment plans, suspending disconnections, providing bill credits and other community support,” the release added.

The OUR added that the JPS has reported that the redesign and reconstruction efforts in St Elizabeth are ongoing, with affected areas currently identified to include Southfield, Great Bay, Newcombe Valley, Old Wharf Road, Blunters, Beacon and Short Hill.