Private water trucking
companies are coming in for closer scrutiny from the Office of Utilities
Regulation (OUR).
The move follows recent reports that some contractors were pumping water from untreated sources and selling it to consumers.
Currently, the OUR does not have jurisdiction over these companies but Michael Bryce, Director of Consumer and Public Affairs of the OUR, says the regulatory agency is looking into how the companies could be brought under its remit.
"We've started our research; we're looking at all the pieces of legislation that will be needed to govern that ... that is that the office has to put in place. We're looking at various policies and once we've put that together, then we'll be in a position to do that," he said.
Mr. Bryce added that once this is done, the OUR will then be able to monitor the companies and insist on compliance with Ministry of Health standards as a condition of any permits granted to them.
Increase in power demand
Meanwhile the OUR on Thursday announced that it is hours away from signing an agreement which will ensure the provision of additional 60 mega-watts of power to Jamaica.
Mr. Bryce noted that the agreement is in a bid to reduce the number of outages experienced by Jamaica Public Service Company customers across the country.
At the same time, the OUR is projecting that the country's power needs will grow exponentially over the next five years.
"The country will need about 360 to 400 megawatts of power over the next five years to meet growing demand and to replace the older inefficient units on the system. Indeed, about 290 megawatts of this capacity will be required to replace old and inefficient plants with the balance to meet new demands," Mr. Bryce said.
Opening up the door to developers of renewable energy
Turning to government's stated intention to increase the use of renewable energy in the country's power supply, the OUR's Director of Consumer and Public Affairs said the current situation in which the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica has exclusive license to develop the energy source should be reconsidered.
"It is expected that this situation will be remedied so that all who are interested can build capacity and can also sell to the national grid. Thereafter, the OUR will also be moving with alacrity to invite applications for renewable as with conventional fuels however, the matter of lower costs will of necessity be do critical as Jamaican consumers cannot be asked to bear an unlimited subsidy to promote the use of renewables," Mr. Bryce said.
The move follows recent reports that some contractors were pumping water from untreated sources and selling it to consumers.
Currently, the OUR does not have jurisdiction over these companies but Michael Bryce, Director of Consumer and Public Affairs of the OUR, says the regulatory agency is looking into how the companies could be brought under its remit.
"We've started our research; we're looking at all the pieces of legislation that will be needed to govern that ... that is that the office has to put in place. We're looking at various policies and once we've put that together, then we'll be in a position to do that," he said.
Mr. Bryce added that once this is done, the OUR will then be able to monitor the companies and insist on compliance with Ministry of Health standards as a condition of any permits granted to them.
Increase in power demand
Meanwhile the OUR on Thursday announced that it is hours away from signing an agreement which will ensure the provision of additional 60 mega-watts of power to Jamaica.
Mr. Bryce noted that the agreement is in a bid to reduce the number of outages experienced by Jamaica Public Service Company customers across the country.
At the same time, the OUR is projecting that the country's power needs will grow exponentially over the next five years.
"The country will need about 360 to 400 megawatts of power over the next five years to meet growing demand and to replace the older inefficient units on the system. Indeed, about 290 megawatts of this capacity will be required to replace old and inefficient plants with the balance to meet new demands," Mr. Bryce said.
Opening up the door to developers of renewable energy
Turning to government's stated intention to increase the use of renewable energy in the country's power supply, the OUR's Director of Consumer and Public Affairs said the current situation in which the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica has exclusive license to develop the energy source should be reconsidered.
"It is expected that this situation will be remedied so that all who are interested can build capacity and can also sell to the national grid. Thereafter, the OUR will also be moving with alacrity to invite applications for renewable as with conventional fuels however, the matter of lower costs will of necessity be do critical as Jamaican consumers cannot be asked to bear an unlimited subsidy to promote the use of renewables," Mr. Bryce said.
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