SEVERAL small businesses across the island are still counting their losses following the June 5 islandwide power outage that disrupted operations.

Energy Minister Daryl Vaz announced in Parliament last week that future electricity licences will include mandatory compensation provisions as he insisted that a mere apology from utility provider Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS)was not enough for customers and businesses which suffered losses.

That came more than 13 years after an Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) technical committee, which investigated the electricity grid shutdown in August 2012, recommended that the regulator be given the power to impose sanctions when there are serious breaches.