Gov't, opposition welcome Beryl relief initiative by JPS

   

The ruling Jamaica Labour Party has commended the Jamaica Public Service on its Hurricane Beryl Relief Programme that will benefit approximately 350,000 residential customers, but says it should go further.

 

The utility company on Tuesday announced that a 20 per cent discount will be applied to customers who use 150 kilowatt hours of electricity or less for the month.

 

JLP Deputy General Secretary Richard Creary said while the move is a step in the right direction, the JPS should consider any additional steps that may be taken to ease burdens facing its customers.

 

Mr. Creary has also called for the company to intensify efforts to restore electricity to consumers in sections of the island, in particular St. Elizabeth and Clarendon.

 

Speaking at the post Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz, who had urged the electricity distributor to show compassion to Jamaicans affected by Hurricane Beryl, said his team is reviewing the JPS relief programme.

 

Mr. Vaz said the company could be requested to expand the programme as its customers, including government entities, endure more days without service. 

 

"I commend them. As they say, better late than never. But the fact of the matter is that what they did yesterday should have been an automatic response in a crisis of a hurricane. But give credit where credit is due. So I say that on the face of it, this that they have released is a start, but I would not say that it's a completion until such time as I get to delving into it deeper and get the real basis of the value of this and the benefit to all the customers in Jamaica whether they have been restored or not restored," he asserted. 

 

The JPS said the 20 per cent discount will be applied to current charges and will be reflected on bills that customers will start receiving in August. Active prepaid residential customers will get a one-off 1,500 dollar top-up electricity credit on their accounts.

 

Additionally, the JPS has temporarily suspended disconnections for non-payment up to August 15, and is facilitating flexible payment arrangements for customers needing extensions.

 

Opposition relieved 

 

In the meantime, Opposition Spokesman on Energy Phillip Paulwell has expressed relief that the Jamaica Public Service has responded positively to his call for a discount to be applied to the bills of customers post-Beryl.

 

The call had come following the announcement by the utility provider that it would issue estimated bills for the June to July period.

 

Some customers have received estimated bills.

 

Mr. Paulwell said he would have preferred a more significant discount, but is hopeful that there is more to come over the coming weeks to further aid the customers in getting back to normality. 

 

"I am pleased that the JPSCo has responded in this way. I was hoping for a bigger discount but I acknowledge what they are doing, and I remain committed to ensuring that our consumers are always protected and that we as opposition are vigilant in their defence," he declarded. 

 

Mr. Paulwell has also urged the Office of Utilities Regulation to quickly attend to the proposal submitted by the JPS for a review of the mechanism for calculating estimated bills, specifically for customers impacted by extended outages as a result of Hurricane Beryl.

 

The company says the objective is to minimise the impact on people who could end up being worst off as a result of their bills being estimated using the regulatory prescribed methodology.