jrobinson, Author at SolarBuzz Jamaica

JPS Blamed For Equipment Damage

November 5, 2012 jrobinson

Orville ‘Shaggy‘ Burrell presents a cheque for $32 million to Lyttleton Shirley (right), chairman of the South East Regional Health Authority, from proceeds of the Shaggy and Friends 2012 concert to benefit the Bustamante Hospital for Children as sponsors look on.-File

Millions of dollars in machines donated by Shaggy to the Bustamante Hospital now in the scrap heap

Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer

Power surges from the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) are being blamed for the damage to a number of expensive medical equipment at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

This has forced the hospital to refer patients to private facilitates where parents have to fork out thousands of dollars for tests that would have been done for free at the State-run hospital for children.

Last month,

Government JPS News

JPS was slow in response to hurricane, says Paulwell

November 2, 2012 jrobinson

KINGSTON, Jamaica

Government JPS News

No Cabinet Decision Yet To Appeal JPS Ruling

November 2, 2012 jrobinson

Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell – File photo

Daraine Luton, Senior Staff Reporter

The Cabinet will on Monday consider whether it will continue its appeal of the court ruling against the monopoly licence for electricity transmission and distribution granted to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).

The parliamentary opposition has said Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell should resign given that the appeal contradicts his previous statements that he is in support of an end to the monopoly.

But Paulwell says the Government has not made a decision to appeal the ruling.

He said the attorney general went ahead and filed the application because the time within which to do so was running out.

This means if the Cabinet decides against pursuing the appeal, the application would be withdrawn.

Under the court rules, unsuccessful parties have 42 days from the handing down of a judgment in the Supreme Court within which to file an appeal.

The Supreme Court handed down its ruling in the JPS class action suit on July 30.

Asked why the Government did not make a decision earlier about whether it would appeal, Paulwell said the matter had not arisen because of several pressing issues.

Meanwhile, the energy minister insists that his utterances on the matter since the Supreme Court ruling have been careful.

He adds that he and the Cabinet are on the same page regarding promoting competition in the transmission and distribution of electricity.

Bringing back light…at any cost?

November 2, 2012 jrobinson

“MAN A WRITE and God a rub out,” our people say. To be more refined you can also choose “Man proposes, God disposes.”

HOWEVER you say it, man is not in charge these days. Higher powers rule. A week or so ago, we went up against Sandy, the “crumoochin” tropical storm/hurricane which turned out to be a tyrant in disguise. Before the bout began, it seemed that we would win. Sandy was supposed to be just a little pyah-pyah breeze-blow, but now we know. Water more than our feeble power.

News Oil

Copper Falls, Oil At US$86

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

Commodity prices sway on persistent global growth worries

The price

JPS News
JPS, fix the broken pole, Windward Road residents plea

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Residents along Windward Road today renewed pleas for the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to fix a broken utility pole in the area

The residents said that while they are aware the JPS continues work to remove downed utility poles across the island, they feel the broken pole is in need of urgent attention.

They fear the wires may be energised, posing serious threat to passersby.

“The pole is hanging over the roadway and we fear it may fall at any time and damage a member of the public,” resident Foster Dawkins

News Oil
Oil price falls as Sandy nears US

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

NEW YORK, USA (AP) – The price of oil is down slightly as the market eyes a massive storm heading for the US East Coast with the potential to force refinery closures and delays in import deliveries.

Benchmark oil fell 9 cents to US$85.96 per barrel Friday.

JPS News
JPS promises timely restoration of electricity

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

The country

News Oil
Petrojam to slash some gas prices

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

Petrojam, the state owned oil refinery, has announced that it will cut the prices of some products, effective Friday.

The price of E10-87 and E10-90 gasoline will go down by J$2.45 while that for diesel will be reduced by $2.30.

The price cut for kerosene oil will be $1.59.

Propane cooking gas however rises by 51 cents while $1.04 has been added to the price of butane gasoline.

Read more:

JPS News
DARK WEEKEND

October 26, 2012 jrobinson

Residents of the Lawrence Tavern community walk by downed power lines adjacent to the police station in the town square. Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Rural parishes will have to wait for power

RESIDENTS OF several rural parishes may have to endure a long, dark weekend.

Winsome Callum, head of corporate communication at the light and power company, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), said this was as a result of damage to “critical elements of the transmission system” in rural areas resulting from the passage of Hurricane Sandy.

“Right now, the parishes that are likely to take several days, into the weekend possibly, are St Ann, St Mary, St Thomas and Portland,” Callum said.

She told