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The
sole energy supplier in the country, Jamaica Public Service
Company, confirmed the outage that began just after 9 p.m. on
Friday affected all utility customers across the tiny Caribbean
nation of 2.8 million people.
The company president, Hugh Grant, said authorities were still
investigating the causes of the blackout, but that it was likely
related to lightning that struck near major substations and
other grid infrastructure.
Jamaican Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said power had been restored
to roughly 500,000 out of 700,000 customers by Saturday morning
and expected a full restoration within hours.
“I commit to keeping the nation advised and updated on this
UNACCEPTABLE SITUATION,” he wrote on X.
Such sudden systemwide grid failures are rare in Jamaica, where
major disruptions are usually linked to severe weather.
Hurricane Melissa knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of
customers when it struck the island in October 2025.
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