A system failure at Jamaica’s power company left the entire island without electricity last night, prompting the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to activate emergency protocols and begin phased restoration of power across all parishes.
The outage struck on June 5, 2026, affecting the island’s 550,000-plus customers. JPS said the system failure was the cause and immediately activated its Incident Command Centre to coordinate response efforts. Energy Minister Daryl Vaz described the incident as unacceptable, according to a statement posted on social media.
In response, JPS began restoring electricity in a phased and pre-determined manner. The company’s leadership advised that all power stations were being restarted to bring the grid back online. Officials have not disclosed the specific cause of the system failure or provided a timeline for full restoration, but the phased approach allows JPS to prioritize critical infrastructure and high-density customer areas.
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This power outage is distinct from Jamaica’s ongoing recovery from Hurricane Melissa, which struck the island in late 2025 and caused widespread damage that left customers without power for extended periods. That restoration effort took months and required international assistance and additional equipment.
Sources
- Jamaica Gleaner — Reported system failure behind islandwide outage and phased restoration announcement
- China Daily — Confirmed islandwide blackout and JPS phased restoration statement
- Andrew Holness (Facebook) — Energy Minister’s statement on the outage and JPS restart of power stations
- Threads / TVJ News — JPS Incident Command Centre activation and restoration efforts
