Gov’t to Undertake Energy Conservation Project

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, said that the administration will be undertaking several conservation projects this year in order to reduce the Government’s electricity bill by 30 per cent.

“We are taking the lead in the national conservation effort across all public sector entities. The pilot project will begin at the Office of the Prime Minister,” Mrs. Simpson Miller informed on June 5, during her contribution to the 2012/13 Budget Debates in the House of Representatives.

She urged that conservation methods also be practised in homes, factories, offices, hotels, schools and on farms, while noting that the use of renewables such as wind, water, and solar, as well as the recovery of waste for biofuels, is being encouraged across all sectors.

 The Prime Minister said the administration is aware of the hardships that Jamaicans have been facing with respect to petrol prices at the pumps, and that Cabinet has decided to appoint a special committee “to examine the components of the prices of petroleum products. I look forward to sharing the findings of the committee with the public."

Stating that energy security and affordable energy are crucial to national development, the Prime Minister said “we have to urgently address our energy situation or we will not be able to capitalise on the various opportunities that are likely to come our way."

Also, she informed that the Government is awaiting the outcome of the bids and any subsequent negotiations for the provision of the necessary infrastructure to supply Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

She stated that the Minister with responsibility for energy will speak further on matters relating to the sector in his upcoming Sectoral Presentation.

By Chris Patterson, JIS Reporter