Pengelley

ENERGY MINISTER Phillip Paulwell is facing demands that he state his position on the future of the Energy Monitoring Committee (EMC), which The Sunday Gleaner yesterday reported is to be disbanded.

Key private sector groupings such as the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), and the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Associa-tion (JMA) have reacted to the report with fury, stating that they “cannot understand why the minister would be considering disbanding this committee this early in the project”.

The EMC was established by Cabinet as part of its mandate to monitor the bid process for the 360-megawatt generation facility, ensuring that it strictly adheres to the arrangements prescribed by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

The committee is also charged with ensuring that at the end of the process, the price of electricity provided by the licensee to the Jamaica Public Service Company does not exceed the agreed price per kilowatt hour.

“We would very much appreciate hearing from the minister his reasons for not wanting the committee to pursue its mandate,” the JMA and the JCC said in a joint media release.

The EMC is made up of nine members from the Government, the private sector, and the trade union movement.

The Sunday Gleaner

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IT IS with deep regret that I complain the nth time about the Jamaica Public ‘Scalping’ Co. Mr Editor, the five of us have scaled down by now living in much smaller accommodations since our children no longer live with us, and we have adjusted to pensions and far less space and equipment.

In 2011, my light bill was $4,000, plus a month. In 2012, I moved to a one-bedroom apartment and the bill came to $7,500, plus a month and I use the same old computer, television, radio, washing machine, and small refrigerator. The five of us fussed, decided against lying down on the steps of JPS, New Kingston, and planned to further cut our energy usage. We cut the use of fans, cut the time on the heater, cut out the microwave, plugged out the refrigerator and other plugged-in equipment when we leave the house. Three of us cut the cable service for it had moved up from $3,000 a month for seniors. The hurtful part of this is our having to watch the same two stations with the very same news.

Anyway, we received our new ‘JPScalp bill’, and we are all devastated because we tried to cut. Our bills have moved from $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 to $11,000, $14,000, $16,000, plus a month, and we all have to pay by April 12. This is outrageous and we are sitting ducks!

We have served our time very well, and we should not be fleeced in this manner. Is there any court that will address us? There’s a little water settling on my brain at this time, so I’m breaking away from the others by not going to any of the old basins like OUR and HPA (Hear Paulwell Announce).

Mr Editor, how can I find Mr Michael Williams, if he has any gas left in him? What can we do by now and the 12th of April to relieve us of the taxation being imposed by these private barons of serfdom? Have you seen what the supermarket owners and the merchants are doing with the markup of old items? HELP!

MILLS BLAKE

Read more:

THE EDITOR, Sir:

IT IS with deep regret that I complain the nth time about the Jamaica Public ‘Scalping’ Co. Mr Editor, the five of us have scaled down by now living in much smaller accommodations since our children no longer live with us, and we have adjusted to pensions and far less space and equipment.

In 2011, my light bill was $4,000, plus a month. In 2012, I moved to a one-bedroom apartment and the bill came to $7,500, plus a month and I use the same old computer, television, radio, washing machine, and small refrigerator. The five of us fussed, decided against lying down on the steps of JPS, New Kingston, and planned to further cut our energy usage. We cut the use of fans, cut the time on the heater, cut out the microwave, plugged out the refrigerator and other plugged-in equipment when we leave the house. Three of us cut the cable service for it had moved up from $3,000 a month for seniors. The hurtful part of this is our having to watch the same two stations with the very same news.

Anyway, we received our new ‘JPScalp bill’, and we are all devastated because we tried to cut. Our bills have moved from $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 to $11,000, $14,000, $16,000, plus a month, and we all have to pay by April 12. This is outrageous and we are sitting ducks!

We have served our time very well, and we should not be fleeced in this manner. Is there any court that will address us? There’s a little water settling on my brain at this time, so I’m breaking away from the others by not going to any of the old basins like OUR and HPA (Hear Paulwell Announce).

Mr Editor, how can I find Mr Michael Williams, if he has any gas left in him? What can we do by now and the 12th of April to relieve us of the taxation being imposed by these private barons of serfdom? Have you seen what the supermarket owners and the merchants are doing with the markup of old items? HELP!

MILLS BLAKE

Read more:

Mr. Paulwell said…

October 16, 2005
says he hopes to introduce net metering in Jamaica by the end of next month
“I’ve instructed the OUR (Office of Utilities Regulation) to finalise a
policy framework for net metering,” Sunday Observer.

– to date, no net metering

August 19, 2011
Amended and Restated All-Island Electric License 2011
Electricity Power Wheeling
Net Billing
October 19, 2012 Paulwell Blames JPS For Power-Wheeling Delay

– to date, no wheeling

February 12, 2012
has announced plans to set up a bipartisan energy council tasked with
achieving up to 62 per cent reduction in energy costs paid by households and
businesses – in 3 years

– to date, no reduction, no plans, no announcements

May 01, 2012
Net Billing
pilot programme limited to 2 years commencing no later than May 01, 2012 and
capped at an aggregate capacity of 2% of JPS