SECTIONS OF most parishes across the island were affected by power cuts throughout yesterday and into last night, as the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) undertook a series of load-shedding aimed at correcting an unexpected shortfall in its generating capacity.
The JPSCo. said its technical staff were making every effort to restore a number of its generating units so that the situation could return to normality by today. However, it has also advised customers to brace themselves for further interruptions over the next few weeks.
Winsome Callum, manager for corporate communication at the JPSCo., said the shortfall in generating capacity was a consequence of the unavailability of a number of generating units, including the Number Three unit at Old Harbour, St. Catherine; both units at Rockfort in eastern Kingston, and a number of gas turbines that were off-line for planned or forced maintenance.
She said the JPSCo. has been operating with a very slim generation reserve margin, "which makes the system particularly vulnerable during periods of maintenance."
Since the beginning of March, this year, she said, "The company has been taking down its generating units for statutory and manufacturer-recommended maintenance, which is critical in order to ensure that the units perform at their best over the long term."
As a result of the slim reserve, Miss Callum said, the company could comfortably take down only one of its larger units over 60 megawatts at a time without disrupting service to customers.
However, if a large unit or the equivalent of a large unit went down unexpectedly while another was being maintained, as was the case yesterday, the company would be forced into load-shedding as the remaining capacity would be insufficient to satisfy customers' needs.
"Given the slim reserve margin with which the company operates, there remains a possibility of further interruptions (intermittent, for short periods) over the next few weeks," she said.
Miss Callum said the JPSCo was moving aggressively to add new generating capacity with the construction of a 120-megawatt generating unit at its power plant in Bogue, St. James. She said 80 megawatts of that capacity was expected to be on line by the end of August. "This will significantly improve the company's ability to provide reliable service to customers," she said.
