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By Dennis A Minott, PhD

With my (Dennis Minott’s) global energy passport stamped from Mexico’s Petroleum Institute to UNIDO renewables gigs across Ethiopia, Asia, South America, and Europe, I returned to CARICOM brimming with optimism that Jamaica might finally crack the code of energy justice and resilience.

But watching the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) operate through the decades—or should I say, ‘F-reddy Killawatt’—I am still waiting after 40-odd years for that triumphant “Amen!” moment.

Yet, could that long-delayed Amen finally be around the corner? In this election year, with Energy Minister Daryl Vaz announcing the Government of Jamaica’s intention not to renew the current JPS all-island licence on its existing terms come 2027, we might just be on the brink of meaningful reform. Minister Vaz’s stated resolve to renegotiate terms to better serve Jamaicans—ushering in more renewable capacity and cost efficiency—represents an opportunity not to be wasted.

But how should the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) proceed if it is serious about liberating the country from decades of monopolistic inefficiency and fossil-fuel dependency?

Let the Philippines Be Our Guide

In my decades of international work, the Republic of the Philippines stands out as a beacon for what Jamaica could achieve with strategic decentralisation. Through its barangay-based and inter-island minigrids, the Philippines has tackled terrain and topology not unlike Jamaica’s.

Their hybrid systems—often anchored by solar, biomass, and micro-hydro with battery storage—provide 24/7 access to communities that, like many parts of rural Clarendon or eastern Portland, would otherwise have remained in the dark.

Not only do these systems reduce line losses and eliminate the absurdity of running hundreds of kilometres of wire for marginal load growth, they encourage local maintenance ecosystems, employment, and innovation. Some Filipino minigrids are even community-owned, sparking civic pride and cooperative management.

Can Jamaica replicate this? Absolutely. But it requires policy bravery and deliberate Government facilitation.

Propose a New Grid Model: The Parish Minigrid Authority

The GOJ should legislate the creation of Parish Minigrid Authorities (PMAs). These quasi-autonomous bodies would be responsible for:

1. Mapping intra-parish energy needs with pinpoint accuracy.

2. Coordinating microgeneration licenses with local private, cooperative, and state actors.

3. Overseeing storage and distribution networks tailored to parish topography.

4. Establishing tariffs that are sensitive to local socio-economic realities.

5. Encouraging local fabrication of RE components like inverters, mounts, and micro-hydro turbines. Such a model fosters true energy resilience and economic stimulus from below.

Incentivise Innovation from Within

Many local inventors, engineers, and tinkerers—from Trench Town to Treasure Beach—have built solar dryers, efficient biomass gasifiers, and wind systems for water pumping. Some remain undocumented. 

A new national energy plan must formalise and support this bottom-up R&D. Provide cash awards, incubation spaces, tax waivers, and market access for these grassroots renewables entrepreneurs.

Too many of them have fled Jamaica—or worse, given up—due to regulatory constipation and elitist gatekeeping in our so-called scientific institutions. If we want Jamaicans to “own” the energy revolution, then Jamaican inventiveness must be prized.

Say No to Nuclear Distractions

Minister Vaz and the Prime Minister have recently entertained Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). But this is a costly, risky, and unproven path. My own analysis—echoed by international experience from Puerto Rico’s reactor fiasco to Cuba and the Dominican Republic’s cautionary tales—makes it plain: nuclear power is a poor fit for any Caribbean island, let alone Jamaica.

No matter how they package it, SMR pushers are often evangelists for profit rather than for safety or sustainability. Jamaica lacks the water security, earthquake insulation, emergency response systems, and governance maturity needed to manage nuclear risk. The SLOWPOKE reactor at UWI should remain what it is: A research toy of a facility in the Chemistry department.

The SMR detour threatens to siphon attention and funds from the truly transformative: distributed renewable systems. Let us not be fooled by glossy MoUs and photo ops with foreign billionaires.

Protect the 2027 Mandate: Reform or Regret

An Energy Minister has a rare window. Condition 27 of the current licence offers the Government a path to renegotiate terms and shape a people-first electricity regime. But power monopolies do not crumble easily.

To protect this 2027 opportunity, the GOJ must:

• Appoint a bipartisan, multi-sectoral negotiation team to advise on new licence terms.
• Insist on unbundling of generation, transmission, and distribution to allow new players.
• Set a target of 70% renewables by 2035, with enforceable milestones.
• Ban exclusivity clauses that stifle parish-based grids and co-generation.

If done right, Jamaica could enjoy cleaner, cheaper, more democratic electricity by the early 2030s. Trust but Verify: Institutional Accountability. No plan will work without monitoring.

Jamaica needs a Renewables Public Watchdog Authority empowered to:

• Track fuel mix disclosures and generation costs
• Audit JPS and independent producers
• Investigate consumer complaints
• Report biannually to Parliament

This body must be free from ministerial control and staffed by professionals with engineering, environmental, and consumer advocacy credentials.

The Amen Must Be Earned

So, can I finally say “Amen”? Maybe. But only conditionally.

I will shout that Amen when:

• A district like Laughlands in St. Ann gets round-the-clock power from its own minigrid
• A local engineer in Old Harbour can license a 2000kW solar-battery installation without six months of red tape
• An unemployed graduate from UTech wins a GOJ grant to commercialise a wind-solar inverter hybrid for coastal villages
• A farmer in St. Elizabeth owning 24 acres of parched land uses a government-subsidised biodigester to power her irrigation pump

Until then, I remain wary. Too many dreamers and doers have been shut out while foreign lobbyists have been ushered in. Too many glossy plans have died on the altar of arrogance or inertia. But if Minister Vaz’s words mean what they say, then this is the moment to shift.

Not to tweak or tinker. To shift.

Let us not sleepwalk into another generation of high bills, foreign dependence, and toxic distraction.

We need a policy of Parish Energy Sovereignty. One that respects community capability, incentivises local ingenuity, and insists on energy equity for all Jamaicans.

Then, and only then, will this physicist from Bound Brook be ready to say a booming, grateful, country-wide, Amen.

Dennis A. Minott, PhD, is a research physicist and green resources specialist.

He is CEO of A-QuEST-FAIR. Feedback to: [email protected]