Jamaica Boosting Its Energy Industry
9.8.2021 21:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
The Caribbean’s leader in renewable energy, Jamaica, is making significant strides in boosting the diversification of its energy sector, as the government looks to implement the island’s ambitious Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
The initiative has set a goal of adding around 1,600 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity over the next 20 years to expand the island’s energy resources. The aim is to facilitate reduced energy prices, and decrease vulnerability of the energy sector to external shocks such as oil prices. The IRP creates business opportunities in the form of requests for proposals (RFPs) that seek investors to fulfill the demand for more energy generation.
The IRP’s targets include 1260 MW of wind and solar, 330 MW of liquid natural gas (LNG), and 74 MW of hydro, biomass or waste energy by the year 2037. JAMPRO, Jamaica’s investment promotions agency, is tasked with securing the local and foreign investment that will drive the plan’s success, and the achievement of these targets.
The island is well on its way. Jamaica wants to have 33 per cent of electricity generation from renewables by 2030, and there are already impressive renewable energy projects on the island that are proving to be a strong foundation for the country’s energy resource plan. The 20-megawatt (MW) Content Solar Ltd. solar energy electricity generation plant owned by WRB Energy Company in Clarendon is one such example. In Westmoreland, the largest photovoltaic power plant in Jamaica, the 51 MWp (megawatts-peak) Paradise Park solar farm, is one of the island’s cheapest producers of energy.
There is also the Wigton Windfarm in Rose Hill, Manchester, which is the largest facility of its kind in the Caribbean with a 20.7 MW plant and an 18 MW extension facility. Jamaica’s energy provider, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS)’s Munro Wind Farm has a 3 MW capacity, while Blue Mountain Renewable (BMR) Jamaica Wind generates 34 MW. In St. Elizabeth, the JPS utility company operates a 7.2 MW hydro-electric plant in Maggoty.
Regarding these projects, Don Gittens, JAMPRO’s Manager of Logistics, Energy, and Infrastructure, stated “Current renewable energy projects represent approximately 14 per cent of energy generation in Jamaica, but our target is 50 per cent. There is therefore a significant opportunity because we have that gap between 14 per cent and 50 per cent that we intend to fill with additional renewable energy investments.”
Jamaica is currently seeking to procure 320 MW of wind and solar, 120 MW of LNG and 74 MW of hydro, biomass or waste energy for this year. Gittens elaborated, “That is the opportunity that exists right now for investors, so, these are very exciting times.”
Interest high in Jamaica’s energy sector
According to JAMPRO, there is serious interest in Jamaica’s energy sector. The Agency is entertaining several local and international investors who are interested in partaking in the RFP that is to come with the aforementioned energy generation opportunities.
This interest was maintained by JAMPRO through the pandemic, as the organisation chose to intensify its marketing activities. The company increased its digital outreach and direct engagements with sector leaders and business executives locally and internationally.
Diane Edwards, President of JAMPRO, said, “While there was a feeling of uncertainty, especially at the beginning of the pandemic, we knew that we had to continue to nurture our relationships and the renewable energy opportunity in Jamaica, and increase our marketing activities. COVID-19 re-emphasised the fact that sectors like logistics, energy, and agriculture must be major priorities, so the Jamaican government really used this time to identify the areas that needed even more focus as we continue Jamaica’s development.”
Sector development initiatives have continued, and JAMPRO has partnered with entities like New Energy Events and the REA - The Association for Renewable Energy & Clean Technology in the UK to continue its global promotion of the energy industry. Jamaica has also begun work on the development of an electronic vehicle charging network, confirming the country’s commitment to alternative energy sources.
“This is a very exciting time within the local and global energy sector as everything is moving towards renewable energy,” Gittens enthused. “Once the RFPs are ready, we are confident there will be a lot of investment coming through.”
ABOUT JAMPRO
The Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)’s mission is to drive economic development through growth in investment and export. JAMPRO is an Agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment, and Commerce.
For more information on JAMPRO, please visit https://dobusinessjamaica.com/.
Follow us on:
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210809005015/en/
Contact information
Integrated Marketing Communications
Tamica Parchment
tparchment@jamprocorp.com
Tele: 876-978-7755
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
REV Ocean Appoints Paul Baribault as CEO Ahead of 2027 Global Operations29.10.2026 16:45:00 EET | Press release
REV Ocean has appointed Paul Baribault as Chief Executive Officer as the organization moves towards the international debut of its 195-metre research vessel in Rio de Janeiro in April 2027, alongside the UN Ocean Decade Conference. One of the world's largest privately owned research and exploration vessels, REV represents a major philanthropic investment in ocean science. With nine laboratories, advanced deep-sea exploration vehicles and dedicated collaboration facilities, it is designed to give scientists access to world-class research infrastructure and connect their discoveries with the people and institutions able to drive ocean protection. Baribault joins as REV Ocean moves from a decade of engineering and construction into international operations. His mandate will be to build the international partnerships, funding base and organization needed to turn REV Ocean’s scientific capabilities into lasting ocean impact. An experienced conservation and nonprofit leader, Baribault served
Holder Partners Launches Strategic Communications Practice and Appoints Ali Ponte as Director and Practice Lead29.10.2026 16:15:00 EET | Press release
Holder Partners, a multidisciplinary consulting and advisory firm, today announced the launch of its Strategic Communications practice and the appointment of Ali Ponte as Director and Practice Lead. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261027701219/en/ Ali Ponte, Director and Practice Lead of Holder Partners’ Strategic Communications practice. The practice advises leading companies and institutions, their boards, senior executives and counsel on communications, reputation and stakeholder considerations in complex matters and periods of significant change or opportunity. Each engagement is tailored to the client’s objectives and, where relevant, draws on Holder Partners’ broader advisory capabilities. Its strategic counsel, informed by research and analysis, helps clients assess the implications of a matter, anticipate stakeholder responses and communicate clearly and effectively. That work includes crisis preparedn
Accertify Formalizes Partner Ecosystem as Fraud, Payments, and Chargebacks Converge Into a Single Risk Surface29.10.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Accertify, a leading fraud decisioning provider whose Predictive Yes Platform helps merchants say yes to more good customers, more revenue, and more growth, today announced the launch of the Accertify Partner Program, a formalized partnership ecosystem connecting payment providers, orchestrators, commerce platforms, and consultancies to Accertify’s network-powered fraud intelligence. Partners can join through two tracks. The Referral track lets partners make a single introduction while Accertify handles the sale, implementation, and support. The Reseller track lets partners sell Accertify on their own contract and own the client relationship and margin. Partners that integrate with Accertify follow a defined certification path, so clients get a tested, supported connection from day one. Every client a partner brings joins a consortium where good customers verified anywhere in the network get through faster everywhere, and bad actors seen anywhere are stopped everywhere. In 2025, Accert
Draslovka to Acquire ex-Natron Energy Battery IP, Completing a Vertically Integrated Western Sodium-Ion Value Chain29.10.2026 15:30:00 EET | Press release
Draslovka’s US-based subsidiary, COVORO MINING SOLUTIONS LLC (Covoro), the operator of one of the largest solid sodium cyanide plants in the world, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the intellectual property portfolio in Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA) and Prussian White Analogue (PWA) sodium-ion battery technology originally developed by Natron Energy. Prussian Blue and Prussian White Analogues are not a single material but a tunable family of framework materials, and the portfolio protects that family across the whole stack — active-material synthesis, electrodes, electrolytes, cell design and manufacturing, as well as complete battery systems — through issued and pending patents, trademarks, and manufacturing know-how, with protection extending into the mid-2040s. The agreement covers intellectual property and intangible assets only and was subject to review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which granted clearance as a condition to closin
Veracode Finds First Meaningful Gain in AI Code Security Since 2025 as Average Pass Rate Hits 62%29.10.2026 15:27:00 EET | Press release
Veracode, the global leader in application risk management, today announced a jump from 56 percent to 62 percent in overall AI-generated code security, alongside a drop in vulnerabilities from 44 percent to 38 percent — the most significant improvement since the GenAI Code Security Report series began in July 2025. Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 and OpenAI's GPT-6-Sol co-lead the rankings at 73 percent, surpassing the previous high of 68 percent set by GPT-5.5 in July 2026. “We’ve been analysing code generated by multiple LLMs for more than a year. Until now, we have not seen a marked improvement in AI code security, despite consistently near-perfect functionality,” said Chris Wysopal, Co-founder & Chief Security Evangelist at Veracode. “This is the first time since running our study that we’ve been able to report a meaningful move on the security dial. Ten models now clear 60 percent, up from four in the last report, and the overall average has jumped six percentage points. With around h
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom