Opposition demands answers from Prime Minister, JPS & OUR about islandwide blackout

Opposition spokesperson on energy Phillip Paulwell is demanding answers from Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness about the cause of the system failure responsible for last night’s all-island power outage.

Paulwell is also questioning if recommendations from a previous probe into a similar black out a decade ago were ever implemented.

Jamaica experienced a comparable islandwide outage in August 2016, after which a formal investigation was conducted and recommendations submitted to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

Paulwell noted that, at the time, Dr. Holness assured the nation that measures would be taken to prevent a recurrence.

He says nearly a decade later, Jamaicans are once again facing questions about the reliability of the country’s electricity system.

He is calling on the OUR to publicly account for what actions were taken following the 2016 incident.  

Paulwell says such incidents cannot continue to recur, given their serious social and economic impacts.