Jamaica has confirmed that there are no plans to shut down the national electricity grid despite the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa, which has already cut power to more than 240,000 people across the island.
Several power generation units, critical high-voltage substations, and transmission and distribution lines have been forced out of service by hurricane-force winds and lightning strikes.
Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport Minister, Hon. Daryl Vaz, disclosed this on Tuesday while updating the nation on the impact of Hurricane Melissa.
“There is no plan at this point to shut down the grid. JPS crews continue to respond and restore critical facilities and customers where it is safe to do so,” the Minister said.
Approximately 240,000 people, representing 35 percent of customers of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), are currently without electricity as the island continues to experience the worsening effects of the hurricane.
The most heavily impacted parishes are St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Hanover, and St. James, where an estimated 75 percent of customers are without power.
The least affected parishes include St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew, and St. Catherine, with fewer than 10 percent of customers impacted.
Minister Vaz said the JPS has indicated that there is adequate generation capacity online to serve customers, though no renewable energy sources are currently available.
He added that the majority of hospitals remain connected to JPS power, except those in Manchester and St. Elizabeth—including Black River, Mandeville, and Percy Junor hospitals which are currently operating on standby generators.
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