Stakeholder Consultations on Energy Policy begin Thursday

A series of consultations are to begin on Thursday (November 11) to harvest views and suggestions on the various sub-policies under the Government’s recently tabled National Energy Policy (NEP).

The first in the series of consultations will be a two-day workshop at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, which starts at 9 a.m. Thursday (November 11). It set the stage for reviewing the five sub-policies of the Energy Policy namely; energy from waste, trading in carbon credits; energy efficiency and conservation; bio-fuels; and renewable energy.

The meeting will pull together participants from the five policy working groups-energy analysts, representatives from key ministries, departments and agencies (MDA’s) in environment, energy and agriculture, and stakeholders from the private sector. The public is also invited to attend.

Director of Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Fitzroy Vidal, explained that the meetings are geared, primarily, to get critical comment from the ‘public specific’ as well as the general public.

“The policies were developed and you’re trying to get the public to be aware of the main elements of them and to comment on them, so that at the end of the day, the policy benefits from the widest consultation possible,” he stated.

Mr. Vidal noted that the policies have been in the public domain for some time, and copies have been sent to various organizations and bodies because there is need for public comment.

“That’s how public policies are written you don’t just sit behind a desk and write a policy, you have to get feedback,” he told JIS news. He added that the public is assured that their comments will be taken seriously in considering the final document.

Other opportunities for consultation will include general public meetings, stakeholder meetings on bio-fuels, energy management workshops, meetings with academia and a meeting with the Vision 2030 Jamaica Thematic working group on energy and minerals development