PM promises solar plant to reduce NWC energy bill
Published:Wednesday | August 3, 2022 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
AS JAMAICANS prepare to celebrate 60 years of Independence on August 6, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has promised to reduce the energy costs of the National Water Commission (NWC) with the construction of a solar power plant.
Holness, who has ministerial portfolio responsibility for the NWC, said the building out of a solar plant is part of strategies being implemented to reduce the cost of potable water for residential and commercial use.
“In the months to come, you will be hearing more about a solar plant that we will be putting in place at one of our facilities, which will help to generate electricity,” the prime minister announced.
He noted that the electricity to be generated at the solar plant will be used “to lift, process and distribute the water to you, which will reduce our cost”. However, he did not reveal details such as where the solar-powered energy plant will be built.
Holness was speaking at the commissioning of the Sandy Bay to Black River pipeline replacement project in St Elizabeth on July 29. The project, he noted, was completed at a cost of approximately $129 million and will serve approximately 3,000 persons.
Meanwhile, Senator Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, who spoke at the same event, acknowledged that the NWC is arguably the largest consumer of electricity in the country.
“It has its challenges, but one of the things we need people to consider is that the cost of electricity impacts the NWC in the same way it impacts you in your households,” said Samuda.
He said the increase in global oil prices has caused much discomfort for the NWC, which has brought urgency to the need to find alternative energy-generating solutions.
Along with the establishment of a solar power plant for the NWC, Samuda indicated that a suite of energy-saving methods is being worked on for implementation, in order to effectively reduce the country’s high dependency on oil and gas.
“We have been looking at comprehensive energy solutions to bring to you, prime minister, and to the Cabinet for sign-off,” said Samuda. “We are clear that we won’t be able to meet our delivery targets for water without significantly reducing our energy usage and cost.”