OUR sets up internal team for JPS blackout investigation

Jamaica's Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has formed a dedicated internal team to lead its investigation into the recent islandwide power outage. This move follows the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited's (JPS) submission of a preliminary report on the incident.

The OUR's new team will guide JPS through the investigation process, prepare necessary documentation, and meticulously review the utility company's final report. Their assessment will focus on the report's validity, the relevance of its recommendations, and the effectiveness of JPS's proposed actions to prevent future occurrences. The team also has the authority to recommend external expert involvement if deemed necessary for a comprehensive examination.

While acknowledging JPS's preliminary report as a useful starting point, the OUR stressed that no definitive conclusions or regulatory actions can be drawn from it yet. Director-General Ansord E. Hewitt stated that the initial findings provide only limited insight into the root cause. "The preliminary report, however is a helpful signpost to alert the OUR to immediate post-restoration concerns, and to enable the regulator to give further directions to JPS as to the expected scope and the critical inputs that must be addressed in JPS’s investigation and reflected in the final detailed report, which is due within thirty (30) days of the full restoration of electricity," Hewitt said.

JPS's preliminary report indicated that its immediate review and operational measures did not reveal any ongoing concerns about grid stability. The company attributes the blackout to multiple faults on critical transmission infrastructure during severe weather, including heavy rain and lightning. Initial investigations point to a potential misoperation of the primary protection scheme on the Hunts Bay-Rockfort 69kV line, which, combined with other factors, led to cascading generator trips and a complete system shutdown.

“

The preliminary report, however is a helpful signpost to alert the OUR to immediate post-restoration concerns, and to enable the regulator to give further directions to JPS as to the expected scope and the critical inputs that must be addressed in JPS’s investigation and reflected in the final detailed report, which is due within thirty (30) days of the full restoration of electricity.