Caribbean utility crews help JPS push through final phase of Melissa restoration

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is leaning on Caribbean utility partners as it works through the closing stretch of its Hurricane Melissa recovery, with fewer than 3,000 customers still waiting to have electricity restored.

In a release issued on Friday, the light and power company pointed to assistance from regional counterparts as a key factor behind the steady progress. Line crews from Bermuda Electric Light Company (BELCO), together with technicians from King's Electrical and Islandwide Electrical Limited based in St Lucia, are working alongside local teams. Together, the visiting personnel now number more than 80 as the operation winds down.

JPS said the external support has helped speed up reconnections, especially in communities that took the heaviest blows from the storm. The remaining work is concentrated in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, where crews are dealing with rugged terrain and rebuilding portions of the grid that had to be redesigned from the ground up.

Senior Vice President of Shared Services at JPS, Ricardo Case, said the cross-border cooperation has been central to tackling the obstacles left behind by the hurricane.

"We understand the level of frustration being experienced by our customers in the western section of the island. However, we have been honouring our word to ensure that the work does not stop. Our teams, bolstered by strong support from utility partners across the Caribbean, have been getting very creative to energise some of the worst affected areas of the grid, despite access challenges and the major rebuilding taking place. Thanks to these partnerships, we are seeing great progress," Case said.

Hurricane Melissa struck the island on October 28, 2025, knocking out power to roughly 77 per cent of JPS customers and inflicting widespread damage on the national grid. The company has described it as one of the most destructive events in its history.

"It is very challenging work," Case acknowledged. "But, we all have one priority — to restore power to every single customer, and the positive energy of the crews working together will ensure we do that as safely and as quickly as possible."