PARLIAMENT completed the task of breaking the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica‘s (PCJ) control of the exploitation and development of renewable energy resources on Friday.
The Senate unanimously
Tomblin
Power company puts greater focus on regional service
President and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointments of 15 new parish managers as part of efforts to transform the light and power company into a more customer-centred organisation.
The JPS said the move also formed part of a comprehensive organisational restructuring which is currently in progress within the company.
According to Tomblin, “we are changing the way we serve our customers”.
“We are decentralising our operations so that decisions about serving our customers in the parishes no longer need to be made at the head office,” she said. “Our aim is to create a more personal connection with our customers, so we are strengthening our service delivery capabilities at the local level.”
New directors appointed
In this regard, JPS said it has appointed three new directors who will have oversight for its regional operations.
The directors include Omar Sweeney, who was most recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica; Keith Garvey, previously general director of the Rural Electrification Programme; and Blaine Jarrett, who is a previous director of transmission service at the JPS.
The company said Sweeney would be responsible for the JPS’s east region while Garvey and Jarrett would head the company’s south and western regions’ operations, respectively.
The company added that the recruitment of business executives and professionals from outside the organisation was the first phase of its organisational transformation.
“We are excited about the new direction that JPS is taking, and the value and new perspectives that these new executives will bring. Our customers will definitely be seeing and feeling the new JPS before long,” Tomblin said.
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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is to assist Jamaican pig farmers in generating bio-energy from their operations so as to boost their income and benefit from the renewable energy sector.
FAO Sub-Regional Livestock Development Officer for the Caribbean, Dr. Cedric Lazarus, said German bio-energy expert Professor Jens Born is due here early next year for talks with the various stakeholders on the initiative.
Lazarus said the project would result in reducing pig farmers operational overheads, while generating additional income through sale of energy to the national power grid, among other possible benefits.
Professor Born has undertaken a similar assignment in Barbados conducting a review of farm waste management applications and offering practical recommendations for the conversion of pig waste to bio-energy.
“He visited approximately 20 pig farmers to assess waste management practices on their farms and options for use of pig manure to produce not only bio-gas, but fertilizer and electricity,” Lazarus said.
“He is of the opinion that with the rising price of livestock feed and energy, Caribbean pig farmers should investigate improving on-farm efficiencies and finding additional sources of income from their farm enterprises. One such additional source of income is (the conversion of) pig waste (to bio-energy),” the FAO officer said.
Meanwhile, the FAO is to assist Jamaica implement an aquaculture development plan this year, according to Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Roger Clarke.
Clarke, who was addressing an African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Fish II Programme validation workshop, organised by the Ministry and the Belize-based ACP Regional Co-ordinating Unit, earlier this week, said J$22 million would be allocated from the Fisheries Management Development Fund (FMDF), to carry out the exercise.
He said the aquaculture development plan is aimed at contributing to Jamaicas goals of ensuring food security, employment creation, import substitution, and foreign exchange savings.
CMC
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JAMAICA Public Service Company’s President & Chief Executive, Kelly Tomblin, has announced the appointment of 15 new parish managers as part of her efforts to transform the light and power company into a more customer-centred organisation.
The parish manager appointments form part of a comprehensive organisational restructuring currently in progress at JPS.
“We are changing the way we serve our customers,” Tomblin said in a statement issued by the island’s major electricity provider yesterday.
“We are decentralising our operations, so that decisions about serving our customers in the parishes no longer need to be made at the head office. Our aim is to create a more personal connection with our customers, so we are strengthening our service delivery capabilities at the local level.”
In this regard, JPS has also appointed three new directors who will have oversight for its regional operations. Omar Sweeney, who was most recently at the Planning Institute of Jamaica, will be responsible for JPS’ Eastern region; Keith Garvey, previously general manager of the Rural Electrification Programme (REP), is JPS’s new director of Region South; and Blaine Jarrett, previously director of transmission services at JPS, will now head the company’s Western operations.
In addition to two of its new regional directors, almost half of the newly appointed parish managers are from outside of the company.
“The recruitment of business executives and professionals from outside the organisation is the first phase of our organisational transformation,” Tomblin said.
“We are excited about the new direction that JPS is taking, and the value and new perspectives that these new executives will bring. Our customers will definitely be seeing and feeling the new JPS before long,” she said.
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THE EDITOR, Sir:
I applaud the Government, any government, for having the vision to seek out new approaches and modalities in attempting to address the myriad challenges we face as a growing nation. I am, however, puzzled that it took us spending all of US$2.8 million (J$252 million at today’s rates) to learn that, according to Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell, the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project is not feasible!
My problem with all this is, had these politicians been running their own businesses, would they be prepared to expend all those resources to come up with such results? I think not.
Over and over we see this trend in Jamaica where one government starts a project with significant outlay of public funds (usually borrowed money), only to see a succeeding administration shelve or abandon it, with little regard for the expenditures already incurred. And we wonder why we are carrying such a burdensome debt load with little to show for it?
We must demand an immediate accounting and disclosure to the nation of the J$252-million expenditure on this LNG project. Nothing less will suffice.
When I think of the number of rural roads that could be fixed, toilets that could be placed in rural schools to expose children to 20th-century sanitary conveniences, or school furniture that could be repaired in order to provide basic comfort to our children in the learning environment, it pains my heart deeply.
But what hurts even more is that these same children will be forced to help repay this borrowed money later, despite not enjoying any benefit from its expenditure.
CARL BLISS
cabliss@flowja.com
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KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica Public Service Company
Key players in the private sector have signalled that they want to be given a role in the new arrangement for the establishment of
Oil prices rebounded today, from a two month low, to a two month high, as tensions between Syria and Turkey fanned concerns, that exports from the Middle East may be curtailed.
Lawmakers in Turkey gave their government a one year mandate for possible military incursion into Syria, after explosives from Syria killed Turkish citizens.
The tension saw prices jumping by 3 dollars 57 cents, erasing almost all of yesterday’s 3 dollars 75 cents loss.
It pushed the price of oil up, by 4 point 1 percent, to 91 dollars 71 cents a barrel.
It was the biggest increase in oil prices since August 3, and means prices are up 15 percent, since the start of the year.
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KINGSTON, Jamaica