JPS Archives - Page 38 of 40 - SolarBuzz Jamaica

Legal battle to break JPS monopoly begins

September 11, 2011 jrobinson

Lawsuit filed names power company, OUR, Attorney General

A lawsuit aimed at busting the Jamaica Public Service’s (JPS) monopoly on islandwide light and power distribution was filed Friday in the Supreme Court.

The suit is being brought by a group of disgruntled JPS customers led by North Trelawny Member of Parliament Dennis Meadows and names as defendants the attorney general, the JPS and the Office of the Utilities Regulation (OUR).

In the suit, the claimants are seeking several declarations from the court, which, if successful, would revoke the JPS’s 27-year All-Island Electricity Licence, and open up the market to other players.

The licence was granted by then Mining and Energy Minister Bobby Pickersgill on March 30, 2001, pursuant to Section 3 of the Electric Lighting Act. The licence was in 2007 extended for a further seven years on the recommendation of the OUR, pursuant to Section 4 of the Office of Utilities Regulation Act.

But the claimants

Details of the contract of the OUR

September 9, 2011 jrobinson

RJR News

Note:

News

Water company moves to make JPS type profits…

September 7, 2011 jrobinson

Please click above to see the bill and to read the NWC’s response to what the K Factor and X Factor charges are on your water bill. It was timely since today the Observer published the article below about a private water company wanting to raise clients bills in St Catherine up to 132%. Yes I wrote 132% but if JPS can get away with that type of billing why shouldn’t the water companies.

Sign Up! – Class Action Suit To Be Filed Against JPS

September 5, 2011 jrobinson

JPS Petition Sign Up

Hugh Wildman, the attorney-at-law representing a group of concerned citizens, says a class action suit is to be filed this week challenging the constitutionality of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) licence.

JPS News

JPS profits rise to US$58 million

September 2, 2011 jrobinson

If you are a shareholder of JPS you are making killing while JPS kills the private sector with ridiculous energy bills. The Observer

News

Blogs back up and JA energy situation still in crisis

August 3, 2011 jrobinson

As we are now back with our new company Solar Buzz Jamaica we look forward to again keeping you updated with the most current energy articles relating to Jamaica. Since we last left unfortunately not much has changed. Electricity has gone up, the JPS monopoly is still in place (now back by government), net metering/net billing is still not in place and businesses are not getting any help with high costs of energy bills. Not to mention government did not renew certain

News

10% added to light bills starting this month

March 18, 2011 jrobinson

On 140 acres of unused land on Nellis Air Forc... — Image via Wikipedia

As if the Caribbean having the 3rd highest electricity rates in the world was not bad enough now JPS is hiking rates 10%. The ridiculousness is that they still can’t give any alternate plan to help reduce electricity costs. The wind farms they are building are not big enough for any of us to really benefit so whats the point. They need to get a contract finished to allow net metering or net billing for solar clients which is an immediate answer that would provide relief.

Net metering/billing is the fastest way to ease some pressure off residential and commercial clients that invest in solar and will allow more people to be able to afford solar. If there was a net metering/billing policy in place the residential clients would not have to buy as many batteries which account for 30% of the solar system costs. Instead people could send the excess solar energy back to the JPS grid and then pull it back from the grid when needed. This has worked in Germany, USA, Spain and many other countries so why not in Jamaica…

JRob

Gleaner article below on JPS hike.

Jamaicans are being advised to expect an increase in their electricity bills for this month.

The Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) says there will be an increase in the Fuel and IPP Charge on customers

News

High Oil Price Affecting Jamaica at the Pump and Home

January 20, 2011 jrobinson

: Image via Wikipedia

Since Jamaica’s energy mix is over 90% reliant on diesel fuel to provide electricity for the country this should be very troubling. If you think your electric bills are high now Jamaica just wait until oil hits US$100 a barrel this year. Solar for you business now! Since businesses run in the days they can utilize the suns energy. Dont listen to the false reports that solar is not beneficial for Jamaica. Those reports are coming from sources who benefit from high electricity costs. Especially since we at Solar Buzz have secured 4-6% interest rates and up to 15yr terms on overseas commercial green loans. SAVE YOUR BUSINESS NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!!! Contact us for a free evaluation on our energy management system and solar solution.

Solar for residential will be cheaper when JPS stops blocking the nation from having net billing or net metering. JPS and the govt are not working fast enough to allow Jamaica to save through alternative energy because JPS is greedy and the govt owns 20% of JPS so high prices benefit them both. The government who can help the country solve the energy issue instead of pushing false hopes of LNG, which at best is 5yrs away, will reign supreme. That’s not hard to figure out but instead they push a solution (LNG) that will cost JPS or tax payers US$700 million in upgrades. Why? Take a guess Jamaica. The cost of LNG is not promised and will rise as world demand rises locking us into the a similar oil situation in the future. See the fuel prices in today’s Observers article below and brace yourself for a painful year in electricity costs.

MOTORISTS will pay more at the pump when they fill up tomorrow following the latest ex-refinery prices announced by Petrojam today, among increases for all of its petroleum products.

Kerosene will recorded the largest increase, up $2.69 to $94.02 per litre.

Diesel will increase $1.96 to $91.92 per litre. Meanwhile gasoline 87 and 90 will both rise by 51 cents to $89.82 and $91.48 per litre respectively.

Increasing by the same amount as gasolene, propane (liquid petroleum gas) will cost $37.43. Butane (LPG) will increase by 2 cents to $45.73 per litre.

Marketers will add their respective margins.

Jamaica Observer

payday lending faxless

As oil nears $100 mark, threat to nascent recovery grows (theglobeandmail.com)
bill clinton tells jamaica and the caribbean to embrace renewable energy (greenantilles.com)

News

Jamaica’s OUR opens bid for 480MW generating capacity

October 10, 2010 jrobinson

: Image via Wikipedia

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has invited bids from twenty-eight local and international companies, including the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS), to supply 480 megawatts of new generating capacity.

This is the largest block of generating capacity ever sought by the OUR and it’s intended to: allow for the displacement of old and inefficient generating plants; provide for growth in demand and improve the efficiency of the overall electricity generation system.

The installation of the new generating capacity is scheduled to be carried out in two phases. The first 360 megawatts is scheduled to be installed by 2014 while the remaining 120 megawatts is to be installed by 2016.

The Request for Proposals (RFPs) seeks to achieve the goals of ensuring that Jamaica improves its energy efficiency in generation, contribute to fuel diversification which will impact energy security and most importantly, positively impact the affordability of electricity. The request coincides with the initiative taken by the Government to introduce natural gas as the fuel of choice for electricity generation and for the mining sector as outlined in the 2009 – 2030 National Energy Policy.

The RFP was issued on September 30, 2010 and bids are to be submitted no later than January 7, 2011 in keeping with the schedule outlined in the bid document.

Jamaica Observer

News

Jamaica Public Service (JPS) bill shocker

September 14, 2010 jrobinson

: Image via Wikipedia

I received a bill from Jamaica Public Service via email on Monday morning (September 13). The bill had an amount due of $49,021.51. The readings were – Current meter reading: 3667 kWh; Previous estimated meter reading: 2106 kWh.

This varies from a normal bill of approximately $17,500 with absolutely no change in my consumption or usage pattern. A quick check on the meter showed that the current reading is in fact 2727 kWh, three days after the meter was ‘read’ on September 10. On the bill was a note AH1 which overleaf read:

“Your meter was read and our quality checks identified your reading as high. However, further checks suggest that the reading was correct and so it was used to bill your account.”

While the person at JPS promises to have the matter checked, it leaves me to ask three questions:

1. What “further checks” could JPS have done in the intervening period which covers Saturday and Sunday?

2. Were I not able to read the meter, what kind of hassle would I have to undergo to have this matter resolved?

3. Am I going to hear that the meter is malfunctioning after requesting at least three meter checks over the last two years and being told that the meter is correct?

Clearly, JPS needs to modify its procedures to ensure that cases like this actually undergo some sort of quality-control checks before they reach the consumer.

I am, etc.,

DONATH E. JUMPP

Jamaica Gleaner

Related articles