Office of Utilities Regulation

JPS costly power losses

May 4, 2015 by IC Insider.com

Kelly Tomblin – CEO JPS

Jamaicans are paying a dear price for the huge system losses at Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS). The cost amounts to US$27 million last year, but that is only the direct cost.
The cost to the wider society the loss in business opportunities and jobs lost due to higher operating cost, that makes some entities not as competitive as they ought, have not yet been quantified, but is likely to be far greater than the $27 million mentioned above. According to data from JPS, system losses increased by just over 1 percent last year, ending the year at 26.65 percent. That is huge, and is well over the 10 percent experts say it should be. JPS in a recent report to its shareholders said “Electricity theft resulted in a net penalty of US$18.4 million to JPS on the cost of fuel used in electricity generation.”
Faced with the massive theft of electricity, the company began curtailing the hours of service to certain communities where according to the company more than 70 percent of the electricity provided was being stolen. The move irritated the Office of Utilities Regulation and some politicians forcing the company to back off. Unfortunately, the issue of theft has been a longstanding problem which the government who have responsibility for keeping order in the society have failed to address, forgetting that it has wider implications for economic growth and development.

Filed Under: Company News, Feature Stories, General Business News Tagged With: CEO of JPS, Jamaica Public Service Co, Kelly Tomblin, Office of Utilities Regulation, Power losses

JPS new plant set for 2017 completion

February 8, 2015 by IC Insider.com

JPS Rockfort power Plant

Energy Company, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), received formal approval from the Jamaican Government for its proposal to proceed with the construction of a 190MW plant to replace the company’s existing units at the Old Harbour power station, located on the southern coast of Jamaica.JPS is pursuing fuel diversification of its power generation fleet, in favour of lower cost Natural Gas. JPS stated that a “market study undertaken by JPS in 2014 indicated that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Natural Gas Liquids (NGL’s) such as propane and ethane, are viable options for power generation and can realise significant reduction in the cost of electricity.”
The Project is to be located at the existing Old Harbour site and is nominally rated at 190 MW under site conditions (197 MW – new and clean). JPS will also seek to convert the existing Bogue combined cycle project in Western Jamaica to gas fuel. The main receiving terminal will be located at the Old Harbour project. “JPS has initially determined that an onshore terminal is cost effective, compared to the larger capacity and productivity of larger FSRU-type terminals. Construction should begin on the Old Harbour Terminal and Power Plant before the end of the year, and commercial operation is expected by the end of 2017” JPS said.
“An Independent Engineer has been retained for the Bogue conversion. JPS will present its recommendation to proceed with the project to the Jamaican Regulator, the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), at the end of February 2015. Pending regulatory approval for the costs of the gas conversion, the Bogue project is expected to enter construction in second quarter of 2015 and would begin use of gas fuel by first quarter of 2016,” the company stated.
JPS said it “has employed various market intelligence services, which suggest that LNG is expected to provide the most stable cost to the Jamaican economy. However, Natural Gas Liquids present a short term opportunity, particularly Ethane or LPG. JPS is considering floating storage, fixed tank or mobile tank systems as well as a combination of each storage option which could accept these different fuels or switch fuels cost effectively.”
Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) is an integrated electric utility company and the sole distributor of electricity in Jamaica. The Company is engaged in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, and also purchases power from a number of Independent Power Producers. JPS currently serves over 603,000 customers through a workforce of 1,700 employees. The Company owns and operates 4 power stations, 9 renewable plants, 43 substations and approximately 14,000 kilometres of transmission and distribution lines.

Filed Under: Company News, Feature Stories Tagged With: JPS, JPSco, Office of Utilities Regulation

72% Customer Satisfaction for CWJ

July 28, 2014 by IC Insider.com

Cable & Wireless Jamaica (CWJ) trading as Lime, ranked highest in customer satisfaction among all of Jamaica’s utility providers, according to a survey by the Office of Utilities Regulation, OUR CWJ said in a release recently.
According to the report the Regulator said 72% of respondents reported that they were satisfied doing business with Cable & Wireless.
Among its telecommunications rivals Digicel, Flow and other utility providers, customers gave the company, the highest marks for product quality and accurate billing and placed them on top for customer care that makes them feel valued and respected.
“We have consistently put customers at the center of our strategic commercial decision-making and these objective survey results are the just reward for those efforts.” Garfield Sinclair Cable & Wireless CEO stated in response to this latest round positive public perception.
Cable & Wireless also received coveted recognition for being the only Telecommunications provider to register a double-digit increase in service quality over the 12-month review period.