PROSPECT, Westmoreland — Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunication and Transport Daryl Vaz says his ministry is currently looking into the issue of some insurance companies’ refusal to insure electric vehicles (EVs).
The minister said he was hearing for the first time about the issue, which was brought to his attention last week in a Jamaica Observer business report.
“It is something that the ministry is looking into, based on the complaint that was made. But the policy, as it stands, does allow for used and new electric vehicles,” stated Vaz.
In the Observer article, published last Wednesday, a lecturer in the Department of Life Sciences at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr Dwight Robinson said he purchased an EV in September but was unable to get it insured comprehensively with his insurer, Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI).
According to the article, president of ICWI Paul Lalor said the company would only refuse to insure an EV if it is a car imported by an individual or entity that is not one of the registered new car dealers, or if it is an imported used EV.
Said Vaz: “The insurance company has the right to decide whether they want to insure or what type of vehicle — whether new or used — but the bottom line is that the policy, which is what… [Government] is responsible for, allows for both. So, it is something that we will have to look into to see exactly what the issues are,” stated Vaz.
“I suspect that the issue of the charging of the electric vehicles and the fact that there has been some reported incidents of fire — which obviously nobody knows what the true situation is in terms of the cause of the fire — [might be the cause of this decision by the insurer],” said Vaz, noting that the Government will speak on the matter in due course.
In the article, Robinson said the issue is something Government should look into, considering its push for EVs.
In June of last year Cabinet approved a policy to incentivise the importation of EVs. Government had also announced that it is making adjustments to the Motor Vehicle Import Policy to accommodate an EV concessional rate of 10 per cent.
Vaz, asked if the development is a blow to Government’s push for EVs, said, “No, because the truth of the matter is that EV is a new technology. And I believe that once it shows that it can perform and that the vehicles are roadworthy, and of course safe, the panic and the concerns will die down.”
Marubeni says old power plants to be replaced by renewables
Executives from JPS shareholder Marubeni commit to replacing its aging power plants with renewable energy plants in the next two years. The Marubeni executives made the commitment in a recent meeting with Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
arubeni Power International has now confirmed that renewables have been chosen to replace old fossil fuel-fired power plants at Rockfort and Hunt’s Bay in Kingston. The company made the revelation about the choice after making the commitment to the Government to align the company with the objective of having 50 per cent of power generated in Jamaica coming from renewable sources by 2030, during a recent visit.
The two power plants are expected to be shutdown starting in the next two years, and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), based on its licence, has the right to replace generating capacity it already owns and will be spending US$500 million to replace those plants with renewable energy. It will be looking to develop projects which together will replace 171 megawatt entirely with solar and wind energy.
“In the next two years or less, some of the plants are going to be shutting down and have to be replaced, and the replacement the Government indicates to us has to be renewables,” Damian Obiglio, senior vice-president, Marubeni Power International and chairman of JPS, told the Jamaica Observer in an interview Tuesday. He added that the investment will also include battery storage to ensure power remains available when the sun is not shining or when the wind dies down.
The confirmation comes long after it was first indicated that the JPS would be replacing the old power plants with renewable energy. Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s energy minister, earlier this year told the parliamentary committee reviewing the Electricity Act that renewables would be the replacement power source, but a check with the JPS then revealed that the issue was not finalised as yet.
Marubeni says it will be working with its partners to spend US$500 million to replace 171MW of fossil fuel-generated electricity with solar and wind solutions in the next two to three years.
“JPS is in the final stages with the Government about how much battery, wind and solar power,” Obiglio added in the interview with the Business Observer. He said it is expected that 60 per cent of the investment, or US$300 million, will be spent on batteries to store power for future use. Of the US$200 million left to build the farms, he said US$160 million will go to solar farms while the other US$40 million will be invested in wind energy solutions.
“These are different investments from the other renewable investments the Government is seeking. This is the JPS just replacing existing capacity which is about to come off line with renewables,” Obiglio stressed. He said the Government indicates that it would prefer the battery farm to be somewhere in the Corporate Area where demand is greatest, either on Spanish Town Road or at its old plant at Hunt’s Bay.
“In the case of renewables, the Government have indicated a strong preference for the farms to be in the eastern end of Jamaica — the St Thomas area and the Portland area — while some of the plants may be set up in Clarendon.”
The company added that it is awaiting further directives and stand ready to cooperate as soon as the plans are agreed upon.
Just recently, executives from Marubeni Corporation and Marubeni Power International visited Jamaica in demonstration of their ongoing commitment to the country and to being an investment partner in the nation’s growth.
In the island for a one-day visit were Satoru Harada, Chief operating officer, Power Division of Marubeni Corporation and Yukio Konishi, senior vice-president, Marubeni Power International.
They paid a courtesy visit on Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the prime minister’s office, where Harada spoke to the significance of Marubeni’s investment in Jamaica and pledged to continue to partner with the Government in supporting economic growth through efficient and sustainable energy generation.
Marubeni, a major shareholder in JPS, also has interests in the 194-MW capacity power plant operated by South Jamaica Power Company, located in St Catherine.
Currently, JPS has two major investors: Marubeni Corporation and Korea East-West Power, and each holds 40 per cent of shares in JPS. The Government of Jamaica, through the Development Bank of Jamaica, holds the remaining 19.9 per cent while the remaining less than 1 per cent is held by private shareholders.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, 2023 – Guyana is to implement a policy to tax companies that consume large amounts of electricity during peak hours.
This was announced by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The move comes after the Guyana Power and Light Friday called for consumers to adopt conservation practises as the utility company registered its highest-ever electricity generation and demand.
In a statement, the company said that it recorded a peak demand of 182 megawatts compared to 154 megawatts for the corresponding period last year.
Jagdeo also on Friday explained that the over-peaking of electricity consumption was due in part to large electricity consumers who were previously self-generating and are now reconnecting to the national grid following the government’s decision to subsidise electricity costs.
The situation is compounded by the current high temperatures being experienced which have led to higher use of air conditioning units and fans.
“To cushion the effect of this situation, GPL is seeking the support and cooperation of our customers in adopting conscientious electricity conservation practises,” the power company said, urging consumers to use LEDs that consume “significantly less electricity and generate less heat”.
In addition, factories, manufacturers and other large customers are being asked to “manage their production schedules efficiently to conserve electricity” and housewives are urged to schedule laundry and ironing on one day instead of multiple days.
“Our demand now, in a single night, is 180 megawatts and we only have 174 megawatts of installed capacity, so you have, of necessity, to take some people off the grid,” Jagdeo told a gathering at the opening of the West Central Mall at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.
However, he said that the government will be investing in additional generation capacity of some 30 megawatts of power, expected before the end of the year.
He added that the 300-megawatt Wales gas-to-energy project that is to come on stream next year is expected to significantly improve electricity supply as well as reduce costs.
The vice president accused the former APNU+AFC Coalition administration of not making the required investments in the energy sector, citing the scrapping of the 165-megawatt Amaila Falls hydropower plant, which he claims has led to an increase in the spate of blackouts.
He also accused the coalition of not investing in new capacity during its 2015-2020 tenure.
Graphical representation of an under construction nuclear power plant. Amb Byron Blake writes: Positioned as an apt solution for a small island nation, SMRs are presented as a ‘burgeoning technology’” But, that burgeoning is all ‘on paper’, as it is still at the design stage.
In an article published in the Sunday Gleaner of July 30, titled ‘The Potential of Nuclear Energy as Part of the Future Energy Mix in Jamaica’, Oshane Hamilton explored the viability of integrating nuclear energy into Jamaica’s energy landscape. While his exposition on this nuclear prospect may be persuasive at first glance, a more critical evaluation is warranted.
Hamilton’s central argument for nuclear energy in Jamaica is predicated on the promise of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), an emerging design stage technology. Approximately 85 per cent of the article is dedicated to extolling the merits of nuclear power as a low-greenhouse-gas-emissions, highly available energy source, and emphasising the advantages of SMRs over conventional nuclear power plants.
Positioned as an apt solution for a small island nation, SMRs are presented as a “burgeoning technology”. But, that burgeoning is all “on paper”, as it is still at the design stage. In that regard, it is important to note Hamilton’s concession in his article’s closing lines that the deployment and validation of SMRs are yet to be realised.
FALLS SHORT
One key advantage highlighted by Hamilton is the small spatial footprint of SMRs. However, the article falls short of clarifying the required number of units to establish a substantial power-generating facility. Procuring upwards of 35 acres of suitable, flat, remote, and uninhabited land, and possibly several pieces, in Jamaica, could be a formidable challenge, given the island’s limited available space and topography.
The article seems to dismiss concerns about nuclear plant safety by arguing that SMRs are safer than conventional nuclear plants, which, in turn, are supposedly safer than alternative energy sources. But, to be safer than the alternative does not make a technology safe. Further, this perspective sidesteps the perpetual challenge of nuclear waste disposal and management, radiation hazards, and the long-term implications. One significant apprehension in Jamaica and the Caribbean pertains to nuclear material usage and the required safe disposal of waste. Considering the region’s high dependence on tourism and the Caribbean Sea’s extensive traffic, coupled with the presence of geographical parts of nuclear-armed states, a nuclear-free stance has been advocated and rigorously pursued.
DEFICIENCY
We do well to remind ourselves that, while illogical, parts of the US, France, and UK are within the Caribbean. These realities have underpinned historical efforts to establish the Caribbean as a nuclear-free zone and the region’s consistent protests against the trans-shipment of nuclear waste through the Caribbean Sea. The unbroken collaboration within the Caribbean underlines the importance of thorough consultation before any action to alter this stance.
A notable deficiency in Hamilton’s article lies in its treatment of renewable energy sources. In the brief segment addressing renewables, he acknowledges Jamaica’s abundant renewable resources, which could substantially diminish reliance on costly, environmentally detrimental fossil fuels. However, the subsequent section titled ‘Problems with Renewable Energy’ focuses disproportionately on the limitations of solar and wind power. While it is true that these sources are subject to natural variability, entail high initial costs, and require extensive land, a comparative analysis should encompass both financial and economic costs and benefits. It is crucial to recognise that the costs of these technologies have been falling, economic costs escalate with global climate change, and many of the financial costs are localised, thus reducing foreign currency demands. Moreover, innovative placement of wind turbines at sea or in remote areas, as well as efficient land use in solar project spaces, have demonstrably enhanced their overall viability.
Curiously, Hamilton’s article omits any mention of biomass-based energy, which holds, perhaps, the greatest potential in the Caribbean’s humid tropical environment. Biomass offers the added advantage of capturing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and sequestering them, while serving numerous other agricultural, economic, and environmental purposes. It is, for example, a means of enhancing the rediscovered importance of agriculture in national development.
In conclusion, the article has a discernible inclination to validate a preconceived notion. The exploration moved quickly to the advancement of viability. The rigour in interrogating an unproven technology and the consequent cautions are absent. The case of potential alternatives, in particular the alternative for which Jamaica is best endowed, is superficial. These shortcomings notwithstanding, Oshane Hamilton’s piece could serve as a valuable catalyst for serious deliberation on a subject with far-reaching policy implications for both Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. It is hoped that the opportunity will spark substantial discourse among stakeholders and policymakers before commitments are given and investments made which will bind Jamaican citizens and taxpayers.
Byron Blake is former assistant secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), based in Kingston, Jamaica.
Earlier in January, Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke announced that the Jamaican Government is removing the duty on European vehicles imported into the country.
This action stemmed from the economic partnership agreement (EPA) signed between Jamaica and the European Union (EU) back in 2008. The EPA, a free trade agreement aimed at fostering trade and investment between the two regions, has paved the way for a surge in accessibility and competition within Jamaica’s automotive market.
Specifically, for Chapter 87 goods, which include motor vehicles, duty breakdowns have been established to facilitate imports. For instance, motor vehicles with engine capacities exceeding 1000cc but not exceeding 1500cc, imported by individuals using gasoline, which previously attracted an import duty of 20 per cent now attract a 0 per cent import duty rate under the EPAs, while the General Consumption Tax (GCT) remains at 15 per cent and the Special Consumption Tax on Fuel (SCTA) at 20 per cent.
In the case of electric vehicles imported by individuals, with an electric motor for propulsion and manufactured within the past three years, a preferential import duty rate of 0 per cent is applied. Similarly, the GCT remains at 0 per cent, exempted under the GCT Act, while the SCTA stands at 0.5 per cent.
The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) has published a guide on the requirements to qualify for duty exemption, which can be found on its website:
The vehicles must be manufactured or made in any of the EU member states or the United Kingdom.
The vehicles must meet the requisite origin criteria.
Vehicles with a date of report prior to January 1, 2023, are not eligible to access preferential rates of 0 per cent under the EPAs.
A valid, original Movement Certificate EUR.1 must be submitted with your import declaration or a declaration given by the exporter on an invoice, a delivery note, or any other commercial document which describes the products concerned in sufficient detail to enable them to be identified.
Vehicles must be directly consigned from the exporting EU/UK member state to Jamaica.
Speaking with Our Today, Lynvalle Hamilton, president of Jamaica Used Car Dealers Association (JUCDA), said, “While there are some dealers who are seeing benefits from the duty changes, not a wide selection of the used car dealers opt to import European vehicles due to the high prices coming out of the UK, the better option for them is usually vehicles coming out of Japan.”
Christina Taylor, group marketing manager at ATL Automotive Group confirmed with Our Today, that ATL has not yet obtained units that benefit from the duty removal.
Taylor was mum, however, as to when these new vehicles would arrive in the country.
While she was unable to reveal specific sales information, she confirmed that among motor vehicles where the removal of duty under the EPA applies, the savings will be passed on to customers.
As a young university graduate with a degree in physics and applied physics, I was an ardent advocate of nuclear power in Jamaica. I argued that the use of nuclear power was necessary to generate abundant, cheap energy to allow Jamaica to develop manufacturing industries such as the production of aluminium and other finished goods, providing much-needed jobs and economic growth. At the same time, I dismissed cons such as environmental pollution and safety issues as being irrelevant and of secondary concern.
With advancing years and hopefully a little more wisdom, I have come to realise that we have an obligation to pass our only planet on to our descendants in a condition that is no worse than we found it.
The recent announcements by the prime minister and Minister Vaz that Jamaica is planning to add nuclear power generation in the form of small nuclear reactors to our energy mix, leaves me with grave concerns about the advice they are receiving.
As Dr Dennis Minott has said in several articles in your newspaper, there are a number of issues that need to be carefully considered before making such a decision. Among them are:
1. Although the manufacturers of these plants promise that they will take them back for disposal when they reach the end of their useful life, what guarantee do we have that the company will still be around to fulfil its obligation when the 40-50 year expected lifespan expires?
2. Even if the company is still in business, changes in government regulations in their home country may well bar them from shipping the unit or its disassembled components into their country. The radioactive waste may then find its way into poor third countries in exchange for a pittance paid to corrupt politicians, or simply be dumped into the ocean.
3. Although some nuclear power plants use air cooling, most such plants, including small modular reactors (SMRs), use significant amounts of water for cooling and for the production of steam to generate electricity. This water can be held in either a closed-loop or a ‘once-through’ system. The actual amount of water consumed will vary depending on the technology being used and may fall as the technology improves, but a reasonable estimate for an SMR generating 300 MW will typically range between two to 14 million gallons per day for the primary coolant (used to transfer heat away from the fuel rods), plus an additional eight to 80 million gallons per day for the secondary coolant (used to transfer heat from the primary coolant to the steam-generation system, where the actual electricity is produced). In total, we are looking at anywhere from 10-94 million gallons of water consumed per day, depending on the plant design and whether the system is open or closed-loop.
4. Even more concerning, and a fact that is often glossed over by advocates, is that ALL nuclear reactors produce radioactive coolant (usually water) as a by-product of their operation. By design, coolant comes into contact with the reactor core where the uranium fuel rods are contained. As the fuel undergoes fission, radioactive isotopes are generated, some of which can dissolve or become suspended in the coolant. This radioactive coolant is treated to reduce the radioactivity as much as is possible with current technology, but it is impossible to remove it entirely. The radioactive coolant has to be stored somewhere – usually in some sort of storage pond. In a country that sits on a major fault zone, where a high-magnitude earthquake is a matter of ‘when’ NOT ‘if’, a pond full of radioactive water/coolant represents a potential environmental disaster. If you have doubts about this, consider the repeated discharge of polluted industrial effluent into the Rio Cobre.
METHODS OF DISPOSAL
5. Returning to the issue of disposing of the nuclear plant at the end of its useful life, the most common methods are: a) decommissioning and dismantling, b) entombment (encasing it in an element such as lead), and c) deep geological repository (disposing of the radioactive components by dumping them in a salt formation or deep rock formation). Given Jamaica’s small land area and widespread porous limestone geology, options b) and c) are impractical, which leaves us with option a) which involves removing all radioactive materials, decontaminating the site, and demolishing the facility. The radioactive waste generated during this process is packaged and stored in specialised containers for long-term storage or disposal. It is obvious that to minimise transmission costs and losses, the SMR location can’t be too remote from where the power is to be used, which means that in reality, this demolished, still-radioactive site will be left sitting within a few miles of major industrial and/or residential centres. It is important to note that EVERY gram of radioactive waste generated since the first nuclear power plant was built in 1954, is still sitting somewhere out there emitting radiation!
We should ask ourselves why, prior to the Ukraine-Russia war, many European and Asian countries were planning to mothball their very expensive nuclear power plants long before they had become obsolete.
Assuming that we find a suitable location and an adequate water supply and that the plant does become a reality, I very much doubt that future generations will thank us for the legacy we plan to leave for them.
MINOTT… we are not doing a good job at dealing with waste at all, let alone with nuclear waste which is thousands and millions of times more dangerous.
EXPONENTIAL start-up costs, qualified employees, proper waste disposal and site selection are being cited as factors for Jamaica’s shortfall to be able to successfully establish a nuclear energy facility on the island.
The concerns were raised by Dr Dennis Minott, a scientist trained in applied nuclear physics, with a PhD in physics and undergraduate training in engineering, who has described announcements by the Government to introduce nuclear energy in the renewable energy mix as delusive.
“The cost of small nuclei is running at about US$8 million per megawatt. Just the capital cost. And for Jamaica, if we were even to have a 10-megawatt plant let alone a 100-megawatt plant that would be US$800 million of installation cost, let alone the cost of personnel, the cost of infrastructure, the need for clear space and the need to be extremely military,” Dr Minott revealed to the Jamaica Observer in an interview.
In a recent sectoral debate presentation in Parliament, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz said if Jamaica does not join the rest of the world in pursuit of building its own nuclear energy capabilities, the country will be left behind. However, the renewable energy specialist says several things need to be in place before such a move could even be considered, and Jamaica’s economic position already put it at a disadvantage.
He explained that for such transformation to take place, a rigorous evaluation of what the aim is will be needed. For a nuclear plant to operate effectively, he says the trained human capital is paramount and it would require to have on stream, all the time, one or two nuclear physicists available 24/7 and these trained employees will need to be properly compensated.
“It cost CAN$251,000, US$190,000 (plus) per annum to even get a low-grade physicist to work full time at the boring, but important job of supervising a nuclear power reactor. Then you need engineers, they come in at roughly the same costs, then you have got to have operators, they come in at about US$90,000 plus per annum,” added Dr Minott.
He reiterated that the country has no experienced civilian engineers, physicists, operators or fire personnel in dealing with nuclear energy. For the most part, the human capital that is available and is knowledgeable about some nuclear science and technology resides at the University of the West Indies, Mona, in the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences (ICENS). But, ICENS only operates a small nuclear reactor, which is slow and small-scale and Dr Minott says it is a misrepresentation of what a nuclear facility is.
“It [ICENS] has nothing to do with this [nuclear energy] at all. It is blatantly untrue to say that we’ve had 40 years of experience with nuclear power, we have not, and we have no experience whatsoever. We may have one or two people trained in nuclear power like myself, but nobody based on anything in Jamaica has been trained in Jamaica to handle nuclear matters,” he said.
But even with trained members operating in a nuclear facility, proper disposal of nuclear waste is another concern.
“We are not doing a good job at dealing with waste at all, let alone with nuclear waste which is thousands and millions of times more dangerous,” he said discerningly.
In pointing to the country’s already troubled disposal practices, including from medical waste which has been piling up, Dr Minott said those waste could possibly include radionuclides from nuclear medicine practice. He believes if medical waste is not being disposed of properly now, the same will follow suit with nuclear waste.
“Have no doubt that the medical doctors who must have administered those nuclear medicines knew that these were extremely hazardous materials but they are out there because whoever is disposing of them is not incinerating them,” said Dr Minott with serious concern.
He says that medical nuclear waste is likely to stay radioactive for three or four months, while nuclear waste has far longer-lasting radioactivity. He explained that even if nuclear waste is disposed of in deep salt mines some 500 to 600 metres or more below the earth’s surface or in mountains, they are still radiating. As such, it’s just a matter of putting them out of direct reach from people, and he’s of the view that it’s highly unlikely nuclear waste generated in Jamaica will be dumped elsewhere.
He, however, admitted that it is possible to minimise the risks against alpha particles, and beta particles because they can be contained. But gamma radiation, which is electromagnetic radiation, cannot be contained effectively without adequate shielding and less frequent exposure.
“Workers cannot be continuously going five days a week or seven days a week, spending five hours per day, on a reactor, and not come away hurt, and I’m not talking about nuclear accidents, I’m just talking about normal operations,” he said.
He added that the narrative or assumption that Jamaica has an insufficiency of power is false and a false solution is being pushed. He says the issue of grid stability is not only dependent on the availability of power.
“Jamaica doesn’t have an ideal grid but it’s not unstable. JPS doesn’t necessarily run an unstable utility. The problem is we have failed to invest in infrastructure, the distribution lines as well as the big transmissions lines. We have failed to invest in the kinds of consumption devices that we ought to, and not just invest, we do not maintain them as well as we should. We do a bad job at it,” said Dr Minott.
He further added that if Jamaica were to get and concentrate on getting power properly connected to the electricity grid, then it would have stability because the instability that Jamaica endures is not caused by lack of power.
If all these were to be in place, though an advantage to pursue the creation of its own nuclear facility, Dr Minott reminded of Jamaica’s geographical position on the tectonic plates which poses a major risk of a nuclear accident due to earthquakes.
“Even an earthquake that is near the Jamaican soil, let alone one that hits and moves two tectonic plates in the way we know they can shake and I don’t know of any nuclear plant that’s built to withstand that,” he added.
And based on Jamaica’s small size, he says it’s a terrible idea to build a nuclear plant in Jamaica, explaining that large reactors are only appropriate for places with enough space. The Business Observer asked Dr Minott, should a nuclear facility be built in Jamaica, where would be a good location? His response was “The part of Jamaica that fits on Antarctica.”
Local scientist warns Caribbean leaders about building nuclear power plants
Jamaican scientist Dr Dennis Minott has issued an appeal to Caribbean governments to exercise caution on the matter of erecting inland or near-shore mini nuclear fusion power plants, saying that any such venture could pose serious risk to lives and the natural environment.
Dr Minott, who has a PhD in physics, postgraduate training in applied nuclear physics, and undergraduate training in engineering, made the appeal in a letter to the Jamaica Observer over the weekend in response to a comment by Prime Minister Andrew Holness at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023 on April 27.
Holness had said that the Government was looking at introducing new energy sources that will make power generation in Jamaica more reliable, available, and affordable.
“We are currently doing a new integrated resource plan to make sure that when we do introduce more green energy, up to 50 per cent, that the entire grid is stable, and that the capacity has been increased,” the Jamaica Information Service reported Holness as saying.
“So, we are looking at pumped hydro storage… looking at the Mahogany Vale project, which I announced as an important element in our energy mix. I have [also] met with the International Atomic Agency. Jamaica has to explore new technology in nuclear energy, small nuclear plants to generate energy in Jamaica, which will be cheaper, more stable, and more affordable,” he added, as he indicated that the Government is serious about insulating the economy from energy shocks and high energy prices.
These initiatives, Holness is reported as saying, may take a decade to happen, but the country, he argued, has been lagging for 40 years.
“Let us start doing things differently. Let us start looking at the big projects that are going to make the difference, and that is what we are investing in now, to create a new paradigm in energy in Jamaica,” the prime minister said.
Dr Minott did not name Holness in his letter; however, it was clear that he was including the Jamaican chief executive in his plea to Caribbean leaders.
Stating that he understands the importance of considering all available options when it comes to energy generation, Minott said that “it is crucial that we do not compromise safety and sustainability in the pursuit of cheaper or more efficient energy”.
“As you are well aware, the Caribbean is renowned for its beautiful beaches, diverse wildlife, and vibrant communities. It is essential that we prioritise the safety of our people, environment, and future generations when making decisions about energy generation,” Minott said.
“Given our geographies, it is almost impossible to locate any small nuclear fusion power plant that would be 35km or more clear of human, large-animal, or fish habitation on these islands. Moreover, nuclear wastes must be safely disposed of, and there is very limited availability of trained physicists and nuclear power engineers, let alone civilian nuclear power technicians. Therefore, it would be unwise to venture into nuclear energy without proper consideration of the long-term implications,” he argued.
He said the potential dangers of nuclear energy are well-documented, and “it would be irresponsible to put our people and environment at risk without proper consideration of the consequences”.
He reiterated his appeal to Caribbean leaders to prioritise the safety of the region’s people and environment when considering energy-generation options.
“There are many viable alternatives to nuclear energy that we can further explore, including renewable energy sources like solar, wind power, small, medium and mini-hydro, and farmed biomass. These options are safer, more sustainable, and less likely to cause harm to our communities,” Minott stated.
In 2022, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) launched a project to help Caribbean countries safely reap the benefits of nuclear technologies in medicine, industry, agriculture, and research.
The Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project opened on April 11 with a four-day workshop in Vienna, Austria, with some participants joining online. Government officials from 14 countries in the region, all at different stages in the development of their nuclear regulatory infrastructure, had the opportunity to hold bilateral sessions with IAEA experts to assess their needs, the agency stated in an online report.
Participants included experts from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, and Suriname.
Two years earlier, Jamaica officially launched its Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority, becoming the first Caricom member state to establish an independent regulatory body to ensure safety and security in the operation of facilities involving ionising radiation and nuclear technology in the country, including the Caribbean’s only nuclear reactor — the 20kW SLOWPOKE research reactor, which is owned and operated by The University of the West Indies on its Mona Campus.
The reactor is primarily used for neutron activation analysis of trace elements in studies related to health, the environment and agriculture as well as in education and training.
Gov’t exploring nuclear energy as part of National Energy Policy
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has signalled the intentions of the Government to integrate nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023 last week Thursday, April 28, 2023, the prime minster revealed that already he had spoken to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field — about using nuclear energy to generate electricity.
The move will form part of the Government of Jamaica’s National Energy Policy which, in part, aims to generate 50 per cent of electric energy from renewable sources by 2030. This, Holness said, will make the supply of electricity “more reliable, more available, and more affordable”.
“Jamaica has to explore new technology in [the form of] nuclear energy — small nuclear plants to generate in Jamaica — which is cheaper, more stable and more affordable,” he explained further.
“So the Jamaica Government is serious about insulating our economy [against] energy shocks and high energy prices,” the prime minister continued.
The move has been welcomed by president of the Jamaica Renewable Energy Association (JREA) Alex Hill, who informed Jamaica Observer that “nuclear cannot be written off as future energy source”. He added that though there are pros and cons, the energy source should be considered for integration into the country’s energy mix over the next five years.
Last October, Jamaican billionaire and chairman of Portland Holdings Michael Lee-Chin signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Nuclear Laboratory (CNL) under which he will be promoting nuclear technology — through small modular reactors (SMRs) — as the means to decarbonise electricity production across the world. When asked by Business Observer if Jamaica will be targeted for SMRs, he responded, “Every country is a target, whether you are a large oil-producing nation, or Jamaica, there are demands for our services.”
Still vice-president of JREA Jason Robinson is of a completely different opinion to his colleague Hill, explaining that Jamaica is not ready “or will ever be ready” for such energy source.
“Jamaica is located in a hurricane and earthquake zone which puts us in extreme danger with out having to worry about a nuclear meltdown. Also Jamaica’s brand is a natural vibe not a one that fits well with nuclear energy. I think it would take a lot away from Brand Jamaica in terms of tourism as well,” he contended.
While Robinson notes the comments of Lee-Chin, and the backing he has received from Government, the JREA vice-president told Business Observer that there needs to be a much heavier debate before there is a push towards a nuclear facility in Jamaica.
“We all can remember Fukushima and Jamaica and the Caribbean cannot withstand that type of meltdown,” he added.
Hydroelectricity
In the meantime, Holness, pointing to an announcement he made in his budget presentation in March, said on Thursday that the Government of Jamaica of creating “a new Integrated Resource Plan [IRP]” that will facilitate the introduction of new energy sources to the energy mix and ensure that the grid is stable and has the capacity to respond to the growing demand for electricity.
Back in March, Holness informed Parliament that the draft of the IRP 2 was being presented to various stakeholders for discussion and feedback, and thereafter will be finalised and presented to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
One of the energy sources the IRP 2 will explore is hydroelectricity from hydro storage pumps. In particular, he said the Government is pursuing the Mahogany Vale Project as a national priority and an important element in the energy mix. The Mahogany Vale Dam, located in St Thomas, was first proposed as a source of convert electricity from potable water supplied to the Kingston Metropolitan Area in 1967.
“These initiatives will not materialise in two years. It may take a decade to materialise but I want you to reflect on it: we have been lagging behind for 40 years. Let’s start doing things differently now, let’s start looking at the big picture to transform our country [and] let’s start looking at big projects that are going to make a difference,” Holness urged.
The introduction of new energy sources, the prime minister argued, will create a new paradigm in energy and “change the parameters that can reduce the cost of production, increase [businesses’] capacity, and ensure [businesses] can innovate integrate technology and compete effectively with the rest of the world”.
International Solar Alliance’s (ISA) Chief of Operations Joshua Wycliffe (right) speaking recently at the organisation’s office in Dehli, India. At left is ISA’s Chief of the Project Implementation Unit Remesh Kumar Kuruppath.
DEHLI, India — International Solar Alliance (ISA), based in this populous Asian city, has expressed interest in furthering its work with the Jamaica Government after providing funding of US$50,000 to complete the Little Park Solar Pump Station in St Elizabeth last year.
According to ISA’s chief of the Project Implementation Unit Remesh Kumar Kuruppath, Jamaica is the first country to benefit from this type of developmental solarisation project from the organisation.
“Jamaica is our first project in the solarisation of an agricultural pumping system. It is a water pumping system that has been solarised, and this was commissioned sometime in September last year. This is the first demonstration project we have done with the country to solarise a water pumping system there, and we have a very close interaction with the Jamaica Government and team there, and they want us to do more,” Kuruppath told journalists from the Caribbean and Latin America now in India on a familiarisation tour organised by the Indian Government.
This addition to the Little Park Pump Station saw the National Irrigation Commission (NIC) obtaining a 30-kilowatt solar retrofit to the Little Park-F3 Solar Pump Station through which over 390 farmers in the rural parish were already benefiting from increased and reliable access to water.
The organisation’s Chief of Operations Joshua Wycliffe told the Jamaica Observer that ISA believes Jamaica’s next step is to solarise other key sectors.
“It has been an absolute delight working and partnering with Jamaica. One of the areas that we are now looking at is how we have solarised our hospital rooftops. We would love to do that to health-care [and] educational facilities in Jamaica. These are two demonstration projects that can be replicated across Jamaica next,” Wycliffe said.
Pointing to the negative implications on the global job market and economy, Wycliffe went on to note that the project commissioned at the Little Park Pump Station in St Elizabeth by NIC supports the push for a more sustainable agricultural sector. Furthermore, the chief of operations told the Sunday Observer that the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic saw an undeniable increase in agriculture due to the loss of jobs, and that ISA played its part in providing solarisation.
“Now Jamaica, like most island states, would also have a lot to do with fishing and marine exports, so coastal ridges are areas that we can support in terms of solarising that industrial segment. Recently there were countries, and I suspect Jamaica would be no exception, where hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost during the pandemic so people went back to farming — and we were able to provide solarisation to sustain that,” Wycliffe explained.
He continued, “This saw that a new channel for exporting was created so what we have looked at is being able to provide sustainable agriculture through solarised power. So, remote villages and communities where they don’t have power grid support to run the irrigation pumps, solarised pumps are an answer. They provide support for people living below the poverty line, so these are two broad areas where we can support Jamaica in being able to further solarise and transition.”
In the meantime, Wycliffe told the Sunday Observer that the ISA is hoping to meet with delegates from Jamaica at its upcoming regional committee meeting in the summer.
“We have had a great working relationship with the Jamaican Government, and that has certainly helped us in putting in small demonstration projects. We are looking forward, eagerly, to the regional committee meeting that is coming up; we would like to further work with them,” he said.
ISA is an international organisation with 110 member and signatory countries. It works with governments to improve energy access and security worldwide, and promotes solar power as a sustainable way to transition to a carbon-neutral future.
To support those projects the organisation partners with multilateral development banks, development financial institutions, private and public sector organisations, civil society, and other international institutions to deploy cost-effective and transformational solutions through solar energy, especially in the least -eveloped countries and the small-island developing states.
