PNP presses JPS to publish storm billing data

The Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) is demanding that the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) publish key billing data to ensure transparency for customers affected by Tropical Storm Melissa. It also wants the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to guarantee fairness in how electricity bills are calculated by the country's main power provider during and after the storm.

JPS president and chief executive officer Hugh Grant said on Thursday that the storm’s impact on the fuel mix for generators could result in “potential upward trends in regards to bills” as the company will have to rely on more expensive fuel sources.

Opposition Spokesman on Energy Phillip Paulwell said while the party understands JPS’s need to protect its assets, “customers require full transparency in JPS’ billing process, which will allow them to clearly understand how their individual bills have been impacted.”

"I am again calling on the Office of Utilities Regulation to intervene to prevent any unfair practice by the JPS that it seeks to impose on electricity consumers. I also renew my call for a fully disaggregated bill that will add the transparency needed by electricity customers, now more than ever," he said in a statement on Saturday.

Paulwell is demanding:

1. A comprehensive list of all billing cycles, their billing periods, and respective meter reading dates;

2. The average fuel price before the onset of the storm that will be the basis for billing cycles impacted during and after the storm;

3. The methodology that JPS will use in the fuel calculation for bills due, including any weightings to be applied, given that the JPS generators will only be impacted for a few days during the storm, and that customers may be without supply for extended periods; and

4. The projected fuel cost savings arising from the JPS’ shutdown of its generators, the benefit of which should be passed on to customers, versus the increased cost occurring from the new fuel mix.

Paulwell has questioned the company’s claim that renewable sources will account for 20 per cent of generation during the storm.

“While JPS CEO has identified an anticipated 20% contribution by solar and wind-powered IPPs (Independent Power Producers) during the storm, we have not heard any statement from the independent power producers to substantiate this claim,” he said, calling on the IPPs to verify the statement.

He further warned JPS against repeating what it described as “unfair actions” after Hurricane Beryl, when the company was accused of “generating estimated bills for some customers, including those with smart meters, and of applying unusually high fuel charges.”

“We hope that this terrible action will not be repeated, but that Jamaicans will be billed in a manner that is fair to both the JPS and its customers,” the statement added.

The JPS president explained that "some of the potential pressures that the bill has are based on the change in the fuel mix that we have during storms".

"What that means for us then is units that are able to burn the alternate diesel oil, those units will burn alternate diesel oil. The reality is that’s a more pricey commodity than liquefied natural gas that could potentially have upward pressures on the bill,” Grant explained.

He noted that the shutdown of the liquefied natural gas supply and reduced output from renewable sources during the storm would likely increase costs.

“Those combined effects in terms of not having availability of liquefied natural gas, the curtailment of renewables, lead to potential upward trends in regards to bills and the impact. We’ll work with regulators and other agencies to see what we can do to soften or minimise that,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Service of Jamaica has reported that Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to rapidly intensify and become a major hurricane by Sunday.

At 7 a.m. Saturday, the system’s centre was located 210 kilometres southeast of Morant Point and 260 kilometres southeast of Kingston.

A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Jamaica, meaning that within 36 hours or less, residents should expect dangerously high water, high waves, and sustained winds of at least 119 km/h (74 mph).

“On the forecast track, the centre of Melissa is expected to move over central Jamaica early next week and over eastern Cuba by the middle of the week,” the Met Service said.

The storm is expected to produce 15 to 25 inches (350–650 millimetres) of rain across parts of Jamaica, with catastrophic flash floods and landslides likely.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.