Government Set to Invest Millions in Hydropower Project
The Ministry of Energy has announced that it will join forces with the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) to assume a $109 million feasibility project aiming at five potential hydropower sites.
The initiative is being undertaken under the Energy Security and Efficiency Enhancement Project, courtesy of loan agreements between the Government and the World Bank.
The World Bank has provided US$15 million to finance initiatives to increase Jamaica’s energy efficiency and improve energy security.
The potential sites being looked at now are: The Rio Cobre River in St. Catherine, Morgan and Negro rivers in St. Thomas, Martha Brae River in Trelawny and Spanish River in Portland.
The Energy Minister said the project is crucial to his Ministry’s greater plan to develop a thriving renewable energy industry in Jamaica.
The Italian consulting engineering services firm, SP Studio Pietrangeli will be responsible for carrying out the project with work scheduled to continue until August 2014.
The Government has already committed to having renewable sources supplying at least 20 per cent of Jamaica’s energy demands by 2030.
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