Utilities of Jamaica

utilities

Power

Jamaica was one of the first countries in the world to have an electric supply, which commenced in 1892, just 13 years after Edison invented the light bulb. Today, all electricity is supplied by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), with electricity being generated using oil, gas, diesel, hydropower and wind farms. The government owns around 20 per cent of JPS, the main shareholders being Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and the Korea East-West Power Company.

 

Water

The Water Resources Authority is responsible for the distribution of Jamaica’s potable water. The publicly owned National Water Commission (NWC) is the main body responsible for all major water and sewage operations in urban areas – provision for rural water is shared between the NWC and the parish councils. Several small private water suppliers also operate in Jamaica, including Dairy Springs and Four Rivers, both of which are licensed by the Ministry of Water. Seven per cent of people do not use an improved drinking water source and 20 per cent have inadequate sanitation (2010).

 

Telecoms

Major operators include mobile operators Digicel, Flow, Anbell and Lime, which offer internet, landline and mobile services. There are 99 main telephone lines, 1,081 mobile phone subscriptions and 315 internet users per 1,000 people (2011). There are 67 personal computers per 1,000 people (2005).