KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) to undergo a comprehensive review of its distribution network and replace compromised utility poles with concrete poles in light of the commencement of the Hurricane season.

Holness, who was speaking at a National Disaster Risk Management Council meeting on Wednesday, said that while the country was spared the worst of Hurricane Beryl, the weather system highlighted significant gaps in the utility infrastructure that must be addressed.

“For example, we must improve the resilience of our utilities. The JPS must undertake a comprehensive review of its distribution network and replace those compromised and broken poles, and as quickly as possible, replace those that need to be replaced with concrete poles. Now I know that they have started that work. There is a budget, a capital allocation for that and that work must proceed right throughout the year with great speed and alacrity so that, you know, God forbid that there is any other disaster to come that we are not without electricity in those areas for any extended period of time,” Holness said.

He noted that the company must be held accountable to ensure its distribution network is resilient and able to withstand weather events such as hurricanes.

Additionally, the prime minister noted that the National Water Commission (NWC) must also develop independent power sources so as to not become dependent on JPS should there be a power outage.

“As we examined the operations of the NWC, clearly, except for gravity-fed systems, once the electricity is out then the entire country would be out of water. So the NWC has to develop independent power sources. It has to have its own backup strategy, its own backup capability. And so the Government has started work towards ensuring that the critical areas for supply and distribution, that those pumping stations will have backup generators. That’s a long-term objective, but we’re going to ensure that we at least have some short-term capabilities,” Holness said.

This, he noted will be executed in a two-pronged strategy, which includes solarising some pumping stations and introducing generators that can carry the pumps for a reasonable period of time should there be a power outage.

“And we have started that recently in the Red Hills area. We opened a solar plant at one of our pumping stations, which will help in the event of a natural disaster, providing those panels aren’t blown away, they remain firmly anchored, then they would be able to generate electricity and keep those pumps going,” he said.

Hurricane Beryl, which struck the island on July 3 last year, caused significant devastation to utility poles and power, leaving several people without electricity for weeks.

— Vanassa McKenzie