Energy distributor Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is to attempt to transform the New Kingston business district into a smart city with execution of the JPS Smart City Project.

JPS is promising to redefine urban living in New Kingston with the deployment of smart city solutions such as a smart grid, intelligent transportation, and improved potable water supply, safety and security, solid waste, public health and environmental services.

The utility company has been awarded a grant by the United States Trade and Development Agency for technical assistance to identify and deploy cutting-edge technology and energy solutions in the business district and develop a roadmap for broader implementation of smart cities throughout the country.

President and Chief Executive Officer, JPS, Steve Berberich, said that the energy distribution company has been installing smart meters and smart LED streetlights, among other solutions, in the New Kingston area as part of the project.

Minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, has hailed the New Kingston smart city project as a testament to innovation and a beacon of hope and progress for the entire nation.

“The New Kingston Smart City Demonstration Project embodies the spirit of collaboration… and harnessing technology to bring about genuine transformation,” she said.

Morris Dixon, who has oversight for skills and digital transformation, was addressing a smart city forum hosted by the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on September 20.

The forum, held in collaboration with US-based project development firm Tuatara Group, was designed to highlight the benefits of a smart city, which is about using technology to drive efficiency in a sustainable way, while enhancing the quality of life of its citizens. This includes improved safety, public Wi-Fi, traffic management, urban planning and environment monitors, among other benefits.

The event also gave an overview of the feasibility study for the JPS Smart City Demonstration Project for New Kingston.

Morris Dixon, in her address, noted that technology is playing a pivotal role in refining the urban landscape, making these areas more resilient, efficient and people friendly. She is urging citizens, as Jamaica strides into the digital era, to embrace technological innovations and adapt them to meet their unique circumstances and challenges.

She noted that the Government, in its digital transformation thrust, is not only about fostering new skills and digital literacy, but “reshaping Jamaica for a new era where technology empowers our communities, businesses and institutions”.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz, in his remarks, noted that the concept of a smart city centres around creating spaces that are efficient, inclusive and sustainable for every citizen.

The smart city uses information and communications technology (ICT) to improve efficiencies, share information with the public and help provide better quality services to promote economic growth and improve the quality of life for all, he pointed out further.

Vaz said that the Government is connecting citizens, through the provision of free Wi-Fi hotspots in more than 180 communities in rural and urban areas.

Noting that the smart city will also improve transportation for people, he said that Jamaica has set a goal of having 10 per cent of transportation powered by electric vehicles (EV) by 2030.

“The Government is doing that through the boosting of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) fleet with the addition of 45 EVs, which will ply the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR),” he said.