Law does not provide for blackout compensation - Vaz

Jamaicans and businesses that suffered losses during last week's all-island power outage have no legal entitlement to compensation under the current regulatory framework, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz told lawmakers on Wednesday.

"There is nothing in the current Act (Electricity) for any compensation for those persons whose activities were affected by the all-island power cut," Vaz told the House of Representatives

He said the issue must form part of a broader review of the electricity sector, including the Jamaica Public Service Company's (JPS) licence and the legislative framework governing both the utility and the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

His comments came as he formally disclosed that preliminary investigations into the June 5 blackout remain inconclusive.

"I must emphasise that the root cause of the outage has not yet been conclusively determined," Vaz said. He had indicated his dissatisfaction with the report from JPS, the country’s sole provider, in a statement on social media on Tuesday. 

"I have reviewed the report and have requested that the investigation continue until all outstanding questions are answered,” Vaz said in the House. “The Jamaican people deserve a complete understanding of what occurred and the assurance that every reasonable measure is being taken to prevent a recurrence."

The all-island outage struck at approximately 9:02 p.m. last Friday, leaving homes, businesses and essential services without electricity for several hours amid adverse weather conditions. JPS has approximately 700,000 customers. 

According to Vaz, the preliminary report submitted by JPS outlined the sequence of events surrounding the outage, restoration activities and recommendations aimed at strengthening the resilience of the national grid. 

However, he stressed that investigators are still seeking to identify the exact trigger for the collapse.

Vaz reiterated that the that the report’s findings were "completely untenable and unacceptable".

In a statement posted Tuesday on social media platform X, the minister said the ministry's initial assessment pointed to "a failure or delayed operation of the primary protection scheme" at the Hunts Bay and Rockfort transmission corridor.

According to Vaz, the apparent failure resulted in an "extended fault duration", an "escalation of the disturbance", and "wider propagation of system instability" across the island.

"The reports suggest the same old findings as in previous instances regarding system failures," he wrote. "In 2026, with improved technologies and greater experience, we should not be exposed or be vulnerable to the challenges we experienced in 2006, approximately 20 years ago."

Vaz noted Wednesday that Jamaica has experienced several major power failures over the last two decades and argued that recurring system-wide outages can no longer be accepted as unavoidable.

"This has been going on for 20 years," he said, adding that previous blackouts have resulted in significant losses for households and businesses.

He also pointed to the upcoming renewal of the JPS licence as an opportunity to strengthen oversight and establish clearer standards for performance and accountability. 

He said the Government remains committed to building what he described as a modern, consumer-focused electricity system capable of meeting the country's growing energy demands.

JPS President and Chief Executive Officer Hugh Grant has attributed the event to lightning strikes that damaged equipment at the Rockfort substation and a broken conductor on transmission lines connecting Hunts Bay and Newport, triggering what he described as a cascading failure across the grid.

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