EDITOR’S NOTE: Towards the end of April, #infrastruCaribe featured renewable energy infrastructure in our edition 2021-04-30, as we continued our series on utilities. We do the same in this newsletter. The Eastern Caribbean, Jamaica, Guyana and Cayman Islands are covered. Additional content may be found on our Twitter feed (@infrastruCaribe),
Our headline, taken from the Jamaica Observer, reads: “Ja Eyeing US$2.8-b Investments in Energy Sector by 2037, Says Vaz”. The Jamaican Government projects that it will need US$2.8 billion in investments in the energy sector by 2037 to modernise the island’s electricity infrastructure, diversify the fuel mix, and promote conservation.
The Eastern Caribbean’s efforts to reduce use of fossil fuels is hampered by inadequate finance, electricity monopolies, and now the pandemic. Caribbean Export — a lead regional organization that attracts direct foreign investment — has partnered with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies to steer investments towards renewable energy.
The current Guyanese government is exploring available financing options to resuscitate the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, which was shelved under the former administration. While in the Cayman Islands, a private-sector consortium called ReGen, led by DART, has proposed a waste-to-energy facility to deal with the islands’ landfill problems.