Tougher Penalties Coming For Stealing Electricity
By: , August 14, 2014The Key Point:
The Facts
- Mr. Paulwell said new electricity legislation, slated to be promulgated this year, will place greater emphasis on discouraging persons from stealing electricity.
- The Minister further noted that the law will be geared towards encouraging energy conservation, thus resulting in foreign exchange savings.
The Full Story
Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, says the Government is moving to impose tougher penalties for persons found guilty of electricity theft.
Mr. Paulwell said new electricity legislation, slated to be promulgated this year, will place greater emphasis on discouraging persons from stealing electricity.
He was speaking on August 11, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI), for the replacement of 200 street lights along the Palisadoes Road with LED technology, at a cost of $5.17 million.
The Minister further noted that the law will be geared towards encouraging energy conservation, thus resulting in foreign exchange savings.
“The energy that you conserve is the fuel that is indigenous. We have to be importing 95 per cent of what you see going to electricity, and when you conserve, it means that we are saving the country foreign exchange. It also means that we are reducing the amount of those fossil fuel emissions that go into the atmosphere,” Mr. Paulwell said.