KINGSTON, Jamaica — Energy Minister Daryl Vaz says the US$150 million loan, which the Government approved for Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), has allowed the company to accelerate the pace of restoration post-Hurricane Melissa, in the hardest-hit parishes.

This, as the funds allowed the utility provider to rapidly mobilise additional resources, including from overseas.

Vaz, who provided an update via a ministerial statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, shared that “In December, mobilisation included more than 300 overseas line workers and close to 250 specialised vehicles, strategically deployed to the hardest-hit parishes of Westmoreland, St Elizabeth, and St James.

“Within three weeks of receiving this support, electricity was restored to over 50 per cent of the approximately 108,000 customers who remained without service, including multiple critical facilities, such as water pumps and telecommunication sites in line with the restoration strategy”.

Vaz told the House that in response to the devastation caused by the hurricane, JPS activated a best-in-class restoration model to systematically restore electricity nationwide. He said as a result, 491,000 of the 542,000 customers who lost power have now been restored.

“This means that 92 per cent of customers now have electricity. Approximately 51,000 of close to 700,000 customers are without power,” Vaz said.

According to him, “Jamaica’s restoration response has performed well above regional peers and is close to best-in-class with a level of recovery that is commendable and reflects disciplined execution, collaboration and professional leadership”.

The energy minister said these figures must be understood in context, as, despite one of the most devastating natural disasters in Jamaica’s history, the country did not experience an all-island blackout.

Following the hurricane, 23 per cent of customers retained service and, according to Vaz was the  “result of the investments in the grid, solid preparation for the hurricane and outstanding execution”.

He noted that hurricane preparedness resulted in the proactive mobilisation with additional overseas linemen and equipment on the ground before the hurricane made landfall.