The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) says since the start of the year it has lost more than US$30 million as a result of electricity theft.

The light and power company says in addition to those losses, it is spending another US$30 million annually to curtail the problem.

But in a statement released today, JPS President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Tomblin said despite a number of measures that have been implemented, the problem of electricity theft has continued.

She says 14 per cent of the electricity produced by the company is stolen, even as JPS continues to absorb the cost of the fuel used to produce it.

JPS says since the start of the year, 38 persons have been arrested for electricity theft, more than 5,700 meter irregularities have been discovered and more than 14,000 illegal lines have been removed from its power lines.

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