Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer
Traffic backs up at the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Hope roads due to a power outage yesterday. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
Several locations across the island were left without electricity and water yesterday as a result of load-shedding exercises carried out by the Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS).
The power outages caused numerous traffic pileups in the Corporate Area as motorists attempted to cross busy intersections while traffic signals were out.
JPS corporate communication officer Ruthlyn Johnson told The Gleaner yesterday that the load-shedding was necessary because of a shortfall in generation output. The shortfall, she said, was the result of several units being taken off the company's grid for maintenance, as well as the loss of some units run by independent power producers (IPPs).
As aresult of the load-shedding, sections of Kingston and St. Andrew, Portland and Westmoreland were without power, Ms. Johnson said.
Our steps in
David Geddes, director of consumer and public affairs at the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), said the regulatory agency had written to JPS about the matter. He also pointed out that the water loss experienced in some areas would have resulted from water pumps losing electrical power.
The load-shedding comes almost a month after the islandwide blackout that occurred on July 3, when several sections of the island lost electricity for up to 10 hours. According to Mr. Geddes, though the report that was submitted by the JPS on that power outage had been analysed, full information would not be forthcoming for approximately three months. He explained that the company could not release fragmentary information on that report.
In the meantime, Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell called an emergency meeting with the JPS and the IPPs to discuss and determine the reason behind the power outages, as well as the various and oftentimes conflicting explanations that were being offered by the power providers.
Paulwell instructed the JPS to make twice-daily reports to his ministry's electricity division.
