Minister Shaw Commissions Solar-Powered Pump Station At Little Park, St. Elizabeth

Minister with responsibility for Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Audley Shaw, on Thursday (December 16), officially commissioned into service, the Little Park F3 Pump Station in St. Elizabeth, which was retrofitted by the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) Limited at a cost of $53.14 million.

The project, which was completed over seven months, involved the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems comprising 600 solar panels, along with two 100-kilowatt inverters situated on one and a half acres of land.

The objective is to reduce the energy bill for pumping irrigation water to some 390 farmers operating in the Little Park area.

“Little Park is the NIC’s single largest energy user and operates for 20 hours each day. The installation is a 200-kilowatt grid-tied solar system, which allows the pump station to self-generate 37 per cent of the energy requirement for the pump facility,” Mr. Shaw said.

“With this upgrade, the NIC’s annual bill from the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company is projected to be reduced by 20 per cent or some $9 million,” he pointed out.

Mr. Shaw noted that the installation of the solar system is phase one of a three-part upgrade that will see the total capacity of the pump station increasing to 350 kilowatts, thus further reducing operational costs.

“The 390 farmers that will benefit from the project operate on nearly 500 hectares of land and include 100 women and one person living with a disability. It is a project of inclusion and extensive advantage,” he pointed out.

Mr. Shaw said that the Ministry “is pleased with the NIC in its implementation and increased use of renewable energy in water production. St. Elizabeth is Jamaica’s breadbasket parish [and] therefore, in our efforts to improve and expand the agriculture sector in Jamaica, St. Elizabeth will always prove to be a national investment that will benefit all of Jamaica.”

The Little Park F3 Pump Station is among three facilities retrofitted with solar photovoltaic systems by the NIC. The other two are the Bengal Pump Station in Trelawny and the Ebony Park Pump Station in Clarendon.

“As the primary providers of irrigation service, NIC is taking steps to improve and increase our renewable energy input in water production,” said the NIC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Milton Henry.

“This is really to support our farmers as they continue to provide a contribution to this country. The NIC will look to continue to enhance the service delivery in an environmentally-friendly and technologically improved way to the agriculture sector,” he added.

Mr. Henry noted that the Little Park pump station can withstand category four hurricane wind pressures and has a lifespan of 25 years.