Government reviewing JPS report on islandwide blackout – Vaz
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Minister of Energy Daryl Vaz speaking at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on July 15, 2026. – Ian Allen photo.
The Government is undertaking a technical assessment of the Jamaica Public Service's (JPS) investigative report into the islandwide electricity outage on June 5, with an inter-ministerial team examining the findings to determine the cause of the failure and identify measures to strengthen the country's electricity network.
Speaking at Wednesday's post-Cabinet press briefing, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said JPS submitted its technical findings and investigative report to both the Ministry and the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) within the prescribed regulatory timeline.
Details of those documents were not provided at the briefing.
Back in June, JPS released a preliminary report, which, among other things, revealed that its Hunts Bay-Rockfort line failed to isolate lightning-induced faults during adverse weather conditions, triggering a disastrous all-island blackout from Friday into Saturday.
In the 38-page report, JPS said the island had 635.9 megawatts (MW) of electricity, while the actual demand from customers was 544.3 MW, leaving a comfortable safety margin, or spinning reserve, of 91.6 MW.
However, it said although the grid was functioning normally, heavy rain, lightning, and lingering Sahara dust had already caused several temporary power trips in the hours leading up to the main failure on June 5 at 9:02 p.m.
Speaking today, Vaz said, given the national importance of the outage, the Government has adopted an inter-ministerial approach to reviewing the report.
He indicated that subject matter experts are conducting a comprehensive assessment to establish the root cause of the failure, evaluate the existing electricity system, and identify any corrective actions needed to improve the resilience of Jamaica's power infrastructure.
The minister noted that JPS had taken a different approach to its investigation by engaging three international consultants to assist with the review.
According to Vaz, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products conducted steady-state and transient stability analyses of the electricity system, while Danna Energy Solutions, formerly Quanta Services, carried out the root cause analysis.
He said Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and General Electric also conducted performance analyses and reviewed the operation of the system's protective devices.
Vaz said the Government will communicate the findings, recommendations, and any required actions arising from its review to the Jamaican public.
He added that he expects JPS to issue its own statement on the matter shortly.
He also welcomed the utility's decision to enlist international expertise for the investigation, noting that the calibre of the specialists engaged was encouraging and likely represented a significant investment.
The minister said reliable electricity remains fundamental to national development, economic growth and public confidence, adding that the Government will continue working to ensure Jamaica's energy sector delivers the level of resilience citizens deserve.
- Andre Williams
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