Amid renewed debate for underground power lines to reduce storm damage and improve reliability, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has warned that the enormous cost involved makes a nationwide underground network unrealistic at this time.

The matter arose during Tuesday’s meeting of Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC), during which JPS was questioned about the feasibility of a subterranean network and its broader plans to strengthen grid resilience.

JPS President and Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant told the committee that while underground systems offer greater resilience, the financial burden of converting Jamaica’s entire grid would be overwhelming.

“I operated in New York where we have the largest underground infrastructure in the world… so I understand underground systems, what it takes to build them, operate them, and maintain them. The reality is, underground systems cost north of 15 times an overhead system. So right now I would say in Jamaica… if we’re going to underground the entire electrical infrastructure, I would say it is cost-prohibitive,” he told committee members.

The discussion arose as lawmakers questioned whether Jamaica’s power network was sufficiently hardened to withstand increasingly severe weather events and earthquakes, especially in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, which caused widespread damage and prolonged outages across several parishes during its rampage across sections of Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

St Mary Central Member of Parliament Omar Newell also raised concerns about long-term resilience, asking whether the grid was designed to withstand major earthquakes and whether going underground could provide a safer alternative.

In response, Grant said JPS is instead pursuing what it calls selective undergrounding, a targeted approach focused on protecting critical infrastructure rather than attempting a nationwide overhaul.

“What I do recommend and what we’re looking to do more of is what we call selective undergrounding, whereby you can identify some critical facilities in some key areas. Whereby you say, ‘What does it look like to underground that? for example. ’What does it look like to underground a supply of critical hospitals? What does it look like to underground the Elegant Corridor or the tourism belt in St James? What does it look like to underground any other critical area or facilities that we identify?’” Grant noted.

He added that while even selective undergrounding comes at a high cost, it offers a more realistic balance between resilience and affordability.

“That is something we continue to explore, and we have already received some initial pricing. It is extremely expensive, but it is an opportunity where we can strengthen the grid in critical areas,” Grant said.

The comments come as Jamaica seeks to “build back better” following repeated storm seasons that have exposed weaknesses in overhead transmission lines, particularly in rural and high-risk coastal communities.