JPS works to restore power to Westmoreland pump serving 50,000 residents

Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says it is undertaking extensive rebuilding works to restore electricity to the Roaring River National Water Commission (NWC) Pump, which supplies water to approximately 50,000 Westmoreland residents.

The energisation of the lines leading to the pump is also expected to restore power to more than 1,700 JPS customers across sections of Westmoreland.

JPS President & CEO, Hugh Grant, said the company is giving top priority to the restoration of power to the Roaring River Pump because of the significance of the facility to the parish of Westmoreland.

“We understand the inconvenience and potential health challenges caused by the absence of water. While relatively few JPS customers will be restored despite the extensive work being done here, the greater benefit lies in getting water to the residents. This is consistent with our restoration strategy of giving priority to critical services such as water, hospitals, and telecommunication,” he said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The effort involves the rebuilding of over 10 miles of electricity lines from the power source at the JPS Paradise substation to NWC’s Roaring River pump.

“Several roadways were washed away and others were left waterlogged due to flooding from Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Because of the catastrophic damage, we have to redesign routes, relocate infrastructure and rebuild entire sections of line for a more resilient network. Over 300 electricity poles are being replanted along the corridor. To complete the rebuilding, more than 100 line workers have been deployed, including overseas and local contractors working alongside JPS teams,” Grant shared.

Kenyatta Campbell, Operations Area Manager at JPS underscored the challenges being faced by the restoration crews, noting that it is among the most difficult aspects of the restoration process.

"We are relocating poles from areas that have now become swamps to more solid ground. This has taken us into extremely challenging terrain, with crews facing rocky soil conditions in newly identified locations where poles have to be erected. This requires specialised equipment tailored for rock digging,” Campbell said.

He said once completed, the works will restore electricity to Petersfield, Shrewsbury, Carawina, Waterworks, Dean’s Valley, Petersfield High School, and surrounding sections of the Petersfield community, while also enabling the re-energisation of the Roaring River NWC Pump,

According to JPS, this phase of work is part of the “last mile” of restoration and is among the most challenging, as it requires major rebuilding while restoring electricity to a smaller number of customers, compared to earlier stages.

In addition to work being done across Westmoreland, the “last mile” includes continuing efforts to rebuild the power system and onboard customers in St. Elizabeth, Hanover, St. James and Trelawny .

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