Last week’s death of the Venezuelan president,
BENEFICIARY countries of the PetroCaribe agreement are anxiously watching developments following Tuesday’s death of Venezuelan President
CARIBBEAN Community (Caricom) energy ministers have approved an initial target of 47 per cent renewable energy contribution to total electricity generation in the region by 2027. The ministers approved the target last week in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, at the special meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on Energy. They also set 20 per cent and 28 per cent renewable energy targets for 2017 and 2022 respectively, breaking new ground in the push towards alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and bio-energy, according to the Caricom Secretariat.
Jamaica is highly dependent on imported petroleum to meet energy needs, with a little more than 90 per cent derived from imported oil and the rest from renewable sources. The country, through its national energy policy, has set a target of 20 per cent renewable energy by 2030, but Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell has repeatedly expressed a desire to move the goal to 30 per cent by 2030. Paulwell, who was travelling to Venezuela to attend the funeral of Venezuelan President Hugo Ch Readers of these columns are well aware that we have always been critical of the undemocratic actions of late Venezuelan President
Readers of these columns are well aware that we have always been critical of the undemocratic actions of late Venezuelan President
AS WRENCHING as it may still have been for his mass of supporters around the world, few could claim that Tuesday’s death of
Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell (left), speaks with President of the AILING President
Petrojam Opposition Leader Stephenson King is calling on the St Lucia govern-ment not to join the Venezuelan oil initiative, PetroCaribe, saying it could bring the island into further debt. “Let’s not get involved in this matter. This is not one for the government as it’s not a situation where fuel is being sold to the country at a cheaper rate. The fuel is being sold at the very rate that we are currently purchasing it from Trinidad or elsewhere,” King said. Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony said plans were announced to expand the PetroCaribe pro-gramme under which several Caribbean countries have so far benefited from an estimated US$800 million in investments. Under the initiative launched in 2005, countries receive oil from Venezuela on concessionary terms, and although St Lucia was among regional countries that signed the accord it has not benefited from the initiative. Anthony said he has instructed his energy minister to prepare formal documentation for Cabinet to consider the matter. – CMC Read more: