Power provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) currently passes on to its consumers 17 per cent of the costs of its inefficiencies – including illegal extraction of power – valued at billions of dollars, says Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell.
But the Government is determined to have those inefficiencies, including heat losses, decreased even before the liquefied natural gas plant to be constructed by the JPS at Old Harbour, St Catherine becomes operational in two years or so.
“Currently, the JPS passes on 17 per cent of its inefficiency to all of us,” said Paulwell, the minister of science, technology, energy and mining.
“Some of that inefficiency is as a result of theft and we have to solve that problem. There are some discussions now taking place to deal with that,” said the minister addressing an executive breakfast meeting organised by First Global Bank at the GraceKennedy headquarters in Kingston on Friday.
“We believe that there is more that can be done about theft, and when we looked at the data it is not only downtown or my constituency (of East Kingston and Port Royal). We see some substantial numbers uptown and it is not fair. It is immoral for us to be paying for that.”
mcpherse.thompson@gleanerjm.com
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