Is the Govt Moving to Improve Electricity Generation?

Govt Improving Electricity Generation

The Government is moving to improve electricity generation in the country to meet the policy directive of 50% renewables by 2030.

Following several stakeholder consultations held earlier in the year (May 2023), an Expression of Interest (EOI) was launched and over 42 companies comprising 20 Jamaican firms and global interests from as far as Mauritius and as a near as the Cayman Islands, have indicated an interest in the first tranche of 100 megawatts of renewable procurement.

The Generation Procurement Entity (GPE) received preliminary offers of just under 2,700 megawatts of renewables of hydro, solar photovoltaic, wind and biomass projects.

The Entity is mandated by the government to develop and implement the process for the procurement of new generating capacity by means of competitive bidding, by potential independent power producers (IPPs) for sale of electricity to Jamaica’s single buyer, the Jamaica Public Service Co. Ltd. (JPS). Such IPPs may be local and/or international.

The Expressions of Interest (EOI) is a precursor to the Request for Proposal (RFP) and persons are asked to visit the website of the Generation Procurement Entity (GPE) to make use of this opportunity by February 1, 2024.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the second tranche of 168 megawatts will go to market during this financial year (2023/24) and with both tranches of renewables, this will move the target to 30% of installed capacity, which now stands at just under 13%.

The country’s sole electricity retailer, JPS, is due to retire 171.5 megawatts of fossil-fueled plants, and these will be replaced by renewables when the project is complete. This will bring to 44%, the total renewables on the grid.

The Renewable Energy (RE) policy, which is now at 40% completion, is currently undergoing review by the Policy Division of the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport and the Renewable Energy Sub-Committee of the Jamaica Energy Council.

The Cabinet of Jamaica also gave a mandate in April this year (2023) to explore the possibility of nuclear energy as part of the energy mix. The aim is to have zero fossil fuel use by 2050 in favour of a mix of affordable, secure, reliable energy production with zero carbon emission.

The mandate is being undertaken with the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport with the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences, ICENS, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica as the lead agency.

While nuclear power plants are dispatchable sources of energy, meaning they can adjust output accordingly to electricity demand, some renewables such as wind and solar, are variable energy sources that depend on the weather and time of day. It is in that regard that Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are being explored as part of the energy mix.

These SMRs have reduced fuel requirements and power plants based on SMRs may require less frequent refueling, every three to seven years when compared to between one and two years for conventional plants. Some SMRs are designed to operate for up to 30 years without refueling.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 megawatts per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.

JPS is the sole distributor of electricity in Jamaica and is a partially State-owned company. It owns and operates four power stations, nine hydroelectric plants, and one wind farm across the island, and serves over 640,000 customers each day.