A second team of Canadian consultants examining the legal, regulatory and administrative operations of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has requested more time to submit a full report to the Government.

The group visited Jamaica between August 22 and 25 and conducted interviews with the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and met with senior administrative and regulatory personnel of the JPS.

Information Minister Colin Campbell said Monday, at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing, that the Canadian consultants have asked for additional time to analyse the data and information received in an effort to identify or confirm any deficiency or weakness in the administrative and regulatory framework of the light and power company.

Final report

He said the team is to return to the island for two weeks to complete its probe, after which it will present a final report to the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration in November.

Last week, a technical team from Canada submitted its report, detailing a number of recommendations on how to prevent a recurrence of the islandwide blackout on July 15.

The report concurred with JPS's findings that a lightning strike triggered the massive power outage. Following the incident the island was plunged into darkness for nearly eight hours.

Another conclusion in the technical report is that there were no dedicated communication systems between the independent power provider, Jamaica Energy Partners, in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, and the JPS.