THE RAPID pace of globalisation brings challenges to produce goods and services at competitive costs. This means that the costs of our productive inputs must be reduced. Long-term sustainability depends on ensuring secure supplies of energy at economic and stable prices.
To achieve these goals, we
promulgated a bold, revolutionary energy sector policy with the following
key objectives:
Ensure stable and adequate
energy supplies at the lowest economic cost in a deregulated and liberalised
environment
Diversify the energy base
and encourage the development of indigenous energy resources where technically
feasible and economically viable
Encourage efficiency in energy
production, conversion and use
Complement the country's
Industrial Policy, recognising the importance of energy as a critical input
to industrial growth and stability
Establish an appropriate
regulatory framework to protect consumers, investors and the environment;
minimise the adverse environmental effects caused by the production, storage,
transport and use of energy.
During the next term we will:
Implement a National Energy
Diversification Strategy to complete the switch from high sulphur heavy fuel
to clean burning natural gas.
Achieve a minimum of 50 per
cent switch from oil to clean fuel by 2006
Install a natural gas pipeline
along Highway 2000, providing cheaper and clean energy, critical to industrial
expansion
Provide access to natural
gas as household fuel for the Millennium Town in Clarendon
Develop appropriate use of
renewable energy sources such as wind power, solar and hydropower
Improve the use of energy-saving
devices
Complete the erection of
20 megawatt wind farm at Newport, Manchester
Create an enabling environment
for the establishment of an industrial complex and the development of new
industries at the natural gas terminal site
Increase the contribution
of indigenous energy sources to 12 per cent of Jamaica's energy supply mix
Complete the Rural Electrification
Programme, by providing electricity to the remaining 6 per cent of Jamaica
now without.
ENERGY STRATEGY
Our new energy strategy will prove to be a major catalyst for our targeted production and economic expansion thrust in the next term. In addition to being cleaner and enhancing our sustainable development and environmental protection objectives, cheaper energy sources will significantly increase our ability to manufacture industrial products competitively.
JLP's plan
LAUNCH A major diversification programme to identify cheaper alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind power, geothermal, solar and biomass within environmental guidelines.
Actively encourage the use
of alternative fuels such as coal, rather than Bunker "C" fuel oil or diesel
oil.
Work with JPSCo and the bauxite
companies to investigate the use of cleaner and cheaper liquefied natural
gas (LNG).
Amend existing legislation
to provide financial incentives under the building code for construction that
includes building insulation, the use of energy efficient lighting, and the
installation of solar water heaters.
Make energy efficiency labelling
mandatory for all major consumer appliances.
