JPS gets int’l award for grid management system
JAMAICA PUBLIC Service Company Limited, JPS, has received international recognition for its significant gains in service reliability and automation operations, which have greatly benefited its customers.
As part of the company’s strategy to incorporate modern technology across its operations to meet the demands and expectations of customers, JPS has partnered with global firm, Open Systems International (OSI), to provide efficient service at comparable world-class standard. OSI, an Aspentech business, is the world’s leading supplier of Operations Technology (OT) Solutions, a software that combines information technology and engineering applications. JPS utilises OSI’S SCADA (Supervisor Control and Data Acquisition) OT Solutions system, commonly used in the energy industry, to monitor and control various aspects of energy production, distribution, and consumption. Director of system operations at JPS, Lincoy Small, explained that OSI’S SCADA system has helped the energy company to keep up with the increased changes in energy management and automation, and provide customers with more reliable service. The system is able to improve operational situation awareness, as well as monitor changes in energy management and delivery, along with the supporting automated processes, in real-time. The SCADA system monitors the effectiveness of these processes and makes adjustments, as needed, to ensure that the energy is being distributed efficiently and effectively, and if not, allowing JPS to respond quickly to changing conditions.
“Based on what is happening globally with renewable integration and grid operating costs, this system helps JPS to pass on cost benefits and service reliability to our customers. We are also better able to integrate renewables on the grid, with the utilisation of energy storage, which promotes a cleaner environment,” said Small.
WORLD-CLASS ENERGY STANDARDS
At a conference in Las Vegas recently, OSI recognised JPS as a global game changer in grid operational excellence, presenting the Jamaican energy company with one of OSI’S most valuable global customer awards for innovation and partnership. This is significant for the Caribbean utility, as OSI’S client base includes over 500 utility companies in more than 30 countries. JPS is the only energy company in the region to receive this award for 2022. This is the second time that JPS’ Grid Management Systems Department has received the award, with the previous one being in 2015.
Small dedicated the award to his team, noting that it is proof that the company’s engineers are among the best in the world, and are working hard to provide a sophisticated and reliable service to Jamaicans. “This award acknowledges the excellent work of JPS’ engineers and their alignment with world-class energy standards. Our engineers should be proud, as this demonstrates that they are able to compete and excel globally among the best in the world, alongside utility companies from developed countries, said Small.
JPS has been working to improve and modernise the grid as part of its mission to support households and companies. The energy company has invested approximately US$4M (J$616M) to upgrade the technology on the electricity grid over the past two years. This has resulted in customers experiencing fewer and shorter power outages.
JPS has been in partnership with OSI for the past 15 years. The partnership has been mutually rewarding, as JPS has pushed OSI to improve its product offerings to be more customer-centric. JPS’ innovation and interaction with the Minnesota-based company have propelled them to revolutionise their product. Director of Strategic Accounts at OSI, Cindy Weybright, said that “JPS is a key partner of OSI, for which JPS has provided feedback and support that has led to the development of product enhancements to several of our global OSI applications.”