JPS customers to see lower fuel charges

Jamaica Public Service (JPS) customers are to see lower fuel charges during the month of August.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says customers are to benefit from a rebate of fuel charges, for which they had been overcharged over an extended period.

The OUR did not say for how long customers had been overcharged on the fuel portion of their bills.

The one-off rebate totalling $343 m includes $73 m in interest charges.

Each customer should see their fuel charge lowered for the month of august, by an average of 6 hundred and 86 dollars.

However, the amounts each JPS customer is owed could be lower or higher than that, depending on the fuel used.

The OUR explains that this rebate results from of an overcharging on the price of fuel supplied to an independent power producer by Petrojam, the government oil refinery.

Director of Consumer and Public Affairs at the OUR Michael Bryce explains that action was taken after the matter was brought to its attention.

The OUR says independent of this discovery, it will conduct an audit of the fuel management systems at all power facilities.

The utility regulator says it is in the process of retaining a consulting firm to do this audit. 

Meanwhile, Head of Corporate Communications at JPS Winsome Callum explains that this issue has very little to do with JPS.