Another request for a proposal for a further 168 megawatts of renewable energy will be launched in the new financial year, which begins on April 1.

This is in addition to the supply of up to 100 megawatts of electricity generation, for which the Generation Procurement Entity invited tenders last September.

The disclosure was made by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, as he delivered the Throne Speech to open the 2024/25 Parliamentary Year in Gordon House on Thursday (February 15).

The Governor-General said the Government continues to develop policies that will contribute to reducing Jamaica’s energy intensity and carbon footprint, while advancing the adoption of new technologies.

The policy and guidelines for energy efficiency and conservation in public facilities, particularly for schools and hospitals, and the electric vehicle policy, were tabled in Parliament in June 2023.

Efforts to diversify energy sources for public passenger vehicles for the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) received a major boost with the acquisition of five battery electric buses, as well as 20 compressed natural gas (CNG)-fueled buses.

Increased focus will be placed on improved quality of service by telecommunications operators.

In addition, the Telecommunications (Quality of Service Standards) Rules, which establish the formal framework for the parameters and targets against which operators’ performance is measured, is to be published.