Following the completion of a US$150-million loan agreement with Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), the Government has announced that 300 more linemen are being flown in ahead of Christmas to speed up electricity repairs across the parishes most affected by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz, giving an update on Monday, said the extra manpower would make an immediate difference over the holiday period, when thousands of homes and businesses are still depending on generators, candles, and borrowed electricity.

“After almost two weeks of intense negotiations between the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Finance, and JPS, we are able to have an agreement signed off on Friday last for the $150-million which will allow for 300 linemen to be mobilised to get here by the week before Christmas, working through into new year,” he said.

The new arrivals will be added to the 170 linemen already operating across Jamaica, lifting the total number of workers to 470.

According to Vaz, the original plan was for the current teams to be demobilised this week, but the Government intervened to keep them in place.

He noted that the reinforced crews will push national restoration from 80 per cent to 90 per cent during Christmas and the new year, acknowledging that the new schedule is far quicker than JPS’s original projections, which showed some communities could have been waiting until May 2026.

“So that is what the $150-million loan would be able to do in relation to bringing back the timelines for restoration for the island by January and by 90 per cent December, and of course their original timelines based on their projections and their cash flows would have taken us to May 2026,” Vaz said.

He insisted that reducing the timeline was not simply a matter of convenience, but a matter of national interest.

“The Government’s responsibility is to protect the people and there can be no restoration and no progress and no economic growth without electricity. So, once again, I defend the position 100 per cent,” he said.

He also added that the crews are already concentrating on areas connected to economic activity and essential services.

“JPS has continued to work assiduously despite their constraints, and the fact of the matter is that we have made sure to prioritise areas for economic growth and also obviously essential services like hospitals, NWC (National Water Commission) water pumps, etc.”

Thousands of Jamaicans lost electricity after Melissa’s rampage across the south-western and north-western end of the island on October 28.

On Monday, Vaz said that several parishes have begun to see improvement, with power returning gradually even before the extra workers arrive.

“There are areas in the affected parishes that are getting back light every day, including Treasure Beach and the surrounding areas which are to get back light today (Monday) if they didn’t get it yesterday,” Vaz said.

He also said that Finance Minister Fayval Williams is expected to publish the terms of the US$150-million loan shortly.

Vaz maintained that the collaboration between Government and JPS is working well and urged residents who are still without power to be patient.

“So again, the JPS is working in tandem with the Government, based on our priorities, and it is a good collaboration. I just ask for patience because obviously there are areas that have not received [electricity] that are anxious to receive and to indicate to them that help is on the way. We will get major improvements for Christmas going into the new year.”

According to JPS, as of December 7 approximately 82 per cent of customers now have electricity, with restoration work continuing across the island. The most severe outages remain concentrated along the western coastline, particularly in Westmoreland, where almost nine out of every 10 customers are still without service. Significant disruption also remains in St Elizabeth (54 per cent out), Hanover (48 per cent) and St James (45 per cent), while other parishes are showing steady recovery.

Additionally, JPS reports that 97 per cent of major public and private hospitals have been restored, including a wide range of rural institutions such as Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland, Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny, Cornwall Regional Hospital and Hospiten Montego Bay in St James, and both St Ann’s Bay Hospital and Alexandria Community Hospital in St Ann.

Crews have also restored key water facilities, including the Lower White River NWC pump, which returned to service in the last 24 hours. Additional sections of Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland were also reconnected as teams gained access, reflecting gradual but continuous progress in the hard-hit parishes.

A detailed overview of restoration numbers across the island. (Photo: Source: JPS)

VAZ… collaboration between Government and JPS is working well (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

A screenshot detailing the major private and public hospitals restored electricity since the passing of Hurricane Melissa. (Photo: Source JPS)