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All around the globe
Arthur Hall, Senior News Editor
An American firm hoping to spend US$700 million (J$65 billion) to set up waste-to-energy plants in Jamaica could walk away from the project.
Green Waste Energy says while it has not yet given up on Jamaica, it is becoming frustrated.
President of Green Waste Energy, James D Burchetta, says the infrastructure in Jamaica does not encourage investment in renewable energy, especially from waste.
Green Waste Energy had proposed to spend the billions of dollars to construct four processing plants across the island to transform the waste from the island’s dumps into electricity.
This would be in keeping with the efforts by the Government to have 115-megawatts of renewable energy added to the national grid by 2015.
The four plants would create approximately 1,700 full-time jobs and 1,000 jobs during construction pumping millions of dollars in the economy.
Last week, Burchetta expressed concern about the process to get the approval to construct the plants and the absence of a tipping fee for trucks taking waste to the major landfills.
“We applaud the Government’s efforts to reduce electric rates and help the environment with renewable energy,” Burchetta told
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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Hundreds of jobs to be created as Canadian firm heads to Jamaica to construct solar-powered recycling plant
Sheena Gayle, Sunday Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:Canadian-based recycling company Panther Corporation will build the first solar-powered recycling centre in Jamaica, representing a multibillon-dollar investment and the prospect of thousands of jobs being created.
The company will invest US$26 million to construct and outfit a 30,000 square foot modular facility in Retirement, St James, in proximity to the Retirement Dump, something the company’s president and director, Michael Mosgrove, is excited about.
“It was a perfect fit for Jamaica and for us because of the sunlight. In addition, the demand for recycling in Jamaica is huge right now,” the Canadian investor told