ROSE HALL, St James — Jamaica Public Service (JPS) president and CEO Hugh Grant on Thursday reported what he described as a “remarkable turnaround” in the island’s electricity restoration efforts, announcing that service has surged from 23 per cent to 67 per cent in just two weeks following the devastating passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Grant, addressing a press conference in St James, said more than 310,000 customers are now back on the grid. He attributed the progress to preparation, hardened infrastructure, and coordinated partnerships.

According to the CEO, the hurricane severely damaged more than 70 per cent of JPS’ transmission system, including the steel lattice structures that form the backbone of the grid.

“Despite this, operators at the company’s Energy Control Centre literally saved the grid,” Grant said as he noted that this prevented a total system collapse during the height of the storm.

“We maintained visibility and control because of our fortified communications systems. That allowed us to keep 23 per cent of customers with service after the hurricane—and that’s what gave us the foundation to rebuild,” said Grant.

He reiterated that JPS had pre-positioned 71 line workers prior to the hurricane under retainer agreements with North American contractors, a strategy he called “best in class”, and announced that by the end of this week, an additional 324 international line workers will be on the ground.

According to Grant, local equipment has been exhausted, prompting JPS to import 60 bucket trucks, pole-digging units, and other machinery by the weekend to speed up the restoration push.

The JPS head outlined that recovery has been strong in the less-impacted parishes, Kingston and St Andrew, St Thomas, and St Catherine, where more than 95 per cent of its customers have seen their power restored.

Grant told the media briefing that Portland and St Mary are more than 60 per cent restored, while St Ann, Clarendon, and Manchester are between 20 and 60 per cent restored.

He said the worst-affected parishes — Westmoreland, Hanover, St James, and Trelawny—are currently between zero and 20 per cent restored.

Grant projected that Portland and St Mary will reach 90 per cent restoration by the first week of December, while St Ann, Clarendon, and Manchester should reach 75 per cent by the second week of the month.

He pointed to a major breakthrough in Trelawny, where power returned for the first time since the hurricane.

“Falmouth Hospital, the cruise pier, and the town centre were all brought back online overnight—just in time for the arrival of a cruise ship today,” said Grant.

He said restoration work for Hanover and Westmoreland is expected to begin next week, prioritising hospitals, water pumps, and economic centres before expanding to residential areas.

The CEO said in St Elizabeth, JPS has restored electricity to Junction, Southfield, and Santa Cruz, while in St James, service is back at Cornwall Regional Hospital, key water pumps, the Fairview business district, and sections of Freeport.

He noted that the JPS is using drones to assess areas where roads have been washed out and lines must be redesigned or rerouted.

While acknowledging the challenges ahead, the CEO insisted that JPS is “making steady progress every hour.”