The Government is looking to introduce new energy sources that will make power generation in Jamaica more reliable, available, and affordable.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023, at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on April 27, Prime Minister  Andrew Holness, said the Government has embarked on a path to ensure that 50 per cent of Jamaica’s energy is generated from renewable sources.

“We are currently doing a new integrated resource plan to make sure that when we do introduce more green energy, up to 50 per cent, that the entire grid is stable, and that the capacity has been increased,”  Holness said.

“So, we are looking at pumped hydro storage… looking at the Mahogany Vale project, which I announced as an important element in our energy mix. I have [also] met with the International Atomic Agency. Jamaica has to explore new technology in nuclear energy, small nuclear plants to generate energy in Jamaica, which will be cheaper, more stable and more affordable,” he added.

 Holness maintained that the Government is serious about insulating the economy from energy shocks and high energy prices. 

He pointed out that these initiatives will not all materialise in two years, adding that it may take a decade for this to happen.

“We have been lagging for 40 years. Let us start doing things differently. Let us start looking at the big projects that are going to make the difference, and that is what we are investing in now, to create a new paradigm in energy in Jamaica,” the Prime Minister said.

For years, it has been suggested that Jamaica should turn more to solar energy as both residential users and business owners pay some of the highest prices in the region for electricity. 

Solar technology has made significant advances in recent years and the cost of implementation has fallen. Jamaica has seen a number of solar companies now operating their services.

The conglomerate GraceKennedy headquartered in downtown Kingston, Jamaica has turned to solar energy to help reduce its operating costs.

The new Hi-Lo Food Stores (Hi-Lo) location in Negril, Westmoreland, and the Grace Agro-Processors (GAP) Plant in Denbigh, Clarendon are the latest facilities in the GraceKennedy (GK) Group to ‘go solar’. 

Both locations have installed solar power grid-tied systems with a combined generating capacity of 925 kWh per day, and which are projected to meet approximately 50 – 60% of the energy needs at the new Hi-Lo location, and up to 50% of the energy needs at GAP Denbigh.

Since the start of 2022, GraceKennedy has invested over US$3 million in energy efficiency projects.

Hi-Lo Negril and GAP Denbigh, join several other GK subsidiaries including Dairy Industries Jamaica Limited and NALCAN (formerly Grace Food Processors (GFP) Canning) in Kingston, GK’s Distribution Centre in Spanish Town, and GFP Meats in Savanna-la-mar, Westmoreland, in implementing on-site solar power generation. GFP Meats also recently commenced an energy project expansion, where liquefied natural gas (LNG) will be added to its current energy mix. GraceKennedy’s new Headquarters in Downtown Kingston, which opened in 2019, is also solar powered, with that system currently providing 30% of the building’s daily energy needs. 

Solar grid-tied systems use solar panels and inverters for power generation. They do not require batteries to store power for night-time use and are connected to the electrical power grid.

Chairman of NCB Group Michael Lee Chin has been calling on Jamaica to include nuclear power into its energy mix.

“Whenever there is a shift in the dominant source of energy, there is also a shift in economic power,” said Lee Chin.

(This article was expanded upon  a JIS story)