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Petrojam projects a capital expenditure of US$19 million (approximately $1.7 billion) during the 2012/13 financial year, an increase of US$7 million over the previous financial year. This is outlined in the ‘Jamaica Public Bodies: Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year Ending March 2013’,  tabled in the House on May 10. According to the Estimates, the budgeted capital works...

As part of efforts to build a sustainable energy efficiency sector, the Government has allocated $20 million to the Developing an Energy Services Company (ESCO) Industry project for this fiscal year. This is contained in the Estimates of Expenditure, now being reviewed by the House of Representatives. Implemented in April 2011 through funding from the European Union and the Government...

As part of the thrust to build an energy efficiency culture in the public sector, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining (MSTEM) has trained the second cohort of energy ambassadors to promote conservation methods. The seven-day training programme was sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), under a project aimed at developing an energy savings industry in...

A total of $595.8 million has been allocated to the Energy Security and Efficiency Enhancement Project in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. The project, which got underway in August 2010, aims to promote private sector investment in the energy sector by updating the regulatory framework, preparing projects for investment decisions, and increasing...

Commissioner of Police, Owen Ellington, says there is a growing involvement of students in cyber crimes, such as the lotto scam, and is appealing to parents to take greater responsibility for the supervision of their children. He was addressing a forum on national security staged by the Montego Bay business community on May 15, at the Ritz Carlton Golf and...

Science, Technology, Energy and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Universal Access Fund (UAF) Company Limited is to assume direct responsibility for managing revenue collected from international calls terminating in Jamaica. Speaking at the launch of the northern segment of the broadband network project at the Oracabessa High School in St. Mary on Friday (May 11), Mr. Paulwell, informed...

Persons who use mobile phones while driving will soon face fines, with the promulgation of new legislation by the end of 2012, which will make the practise illegal. Making the announcement recently, Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Hon. Dr. Omar Davies, said when the Act is passed, Jamaica will have a modernised Road Traffic Act and regulations predicated on...

Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, says the accreditation certificate awarded to the Meter Testing and Calibration Centre (MTCC) of the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS), should improve the relationship between the company and its customers. “Consumers and the general public can have confidence that the results generated by this lab are accurate, traceable and reproducible. ...

Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, has said that the Government will be redoubling its efforts to resolve the country’s energy problems. “The high price of energy has negatively affected our economic performance over many years. The significant rise in oil prices has not been matched by similar increases in the value of our country’s exports and...

Fifty schools across the island received computers, on May 8, courtesy of the Bank of Nova Scotia’s charitable arm, Scotia Foundation. The institutions comprised a mix of basic, primary and all age and Junior high schools. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the donation, held at the Scotia Centre in downtown Kingston, Minister of Education, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites,...

The country could see a reduction of some 20 per cent in the national electricity bill or $40 million annually for street lights, with the installation of energy saving Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures across the island, under a pilot project. This was stated by Minister of Local Government and Community Development,  Hon. Noel Arscott, at a press conference, held...

The Institute of Jamaica will be staging a Grand Fair on Friday, May 4, at its Downtown Kingston location, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Deputy Director at the Institute of Jamaica, Gillian Corrodus, informed that the event forms part of the activities to mark Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of Independence, and will focus on reviving all aspects of the Jamaican...