There has been an uproar amongst Jamaicans in regards to their most recent electric bills following the passage of Hurricane Beryl. In response to concerns from customers regarding a noticeable increase in their bills, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has sought to provide clarity about the charges outlined and address the issue directly.
“This month, many customers may have seen a rise in their electricity bills for consumption during the July to August billing period, despite consistent usage compared to previous months,” JPS said in a press release this evening.
“The main components which cause customers’ bills to either go up or down include Energy Charges set by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), the amount of electricity that customers use and additional components including the Fuel Charge and the Billing Exchange Rate which may change monthly.”
The light and power company said, “The recent increase is primarily due to a higher Fuel Charge, and to a much lesser extent, a higher Billing Exchange Rate.”
- The Fuel Charge on August bills is $32.172 per kilowatt hour (kWh) compared to the Fuel Charge of $24.335 on July bills.
- The Billing Exchange Rate on bills moved from $156.30:1 in July, to $157.53:1 in August.
JPS said the Fuel Charge that customers see on their bills is heavily influenced by the actual costs associated with purchasing the fuel used to generate electricity for the period.
USE OF AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL OIL (ADO)
As a precautionary measure against potential hurricane damage, the utility company said New Fortress Energy – the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) supplier – had to take the gas facility offline just before the hurricane to protect it from damage.
The switch of dependent generating plants from LNG to the significantly more expensive fuel Automotive Diesel Oil (ADO) to generate electricity for some days, resulted in higher associated costs reflected in customers’ bills, JPS said.
“JPS will continue to provide customers with information and clarity, even as it strives to provide reliable
Meanwhile the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) is calling on JPS to immediately roll-back the major increases in electricity bills.
In a release on Tuesday, the party says it takes note of a statement by JPS on which cited a temporary increase in its cost of fuel as the reason why major increases have been applied to electricity bills in the current cycle.
The party says it does not support the decision by the light and power company to attempt to pass on to customers the reported temporary increase in fuel costs allegedly caused by its use of Automotive Diesel Oil (ADO) in the lead up to Hurricane Beryl.
“In the circumstances of a natural disaster, we are of the view that it is unconscionable and unacceptable to impose such onerous additional costs on the people of Jamaica. Enough is enough,” commented Jamaica Labour Party spokesperson, Kerensia Morrison in the release to the media.
Morrison, who is also the Member of Parliament for North East St Catherine, says reports that the JPS has applied the objectionable increases to some customers who have not had electricity for several weeks is particularly disturbing.
The JLP spokesperson says the party support efforts by Energy Minister Daryl Vaz on behalf of the Government to get the Office of the Utilites Regulation (OUR) to hold the JPS to account for the questionable major increases in electricity bills.
