KINGSTON, Jamaica — The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded its first grant through the Clean Energy Finance Facility for the Caribbean and Central America (CEFF-CCA), to help develop a 37-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Westmoreland.

According to a news release from the United States Embassy, CEFF-CCA, which was launched by President Barack Obama on April 9, 2015, will provide support to Rekamniar Capital Limited, the project developer, to partner with independent power producer (IPP) Neoen on forming the Eight Rivers Energy Company, which will build the solar facility.

The purpose of the grant is to support selected legal, consulting and engineering costs in late stage project development.  The project will connect to the national grid under a Purchase Power Agreement with Jamaica’s Office of Utility Regulation, the release stated.

Once completed, the Eight Rivers facility will generate some of the lowest cost electricity on the island.

The programme seeks to encourage private sector investment in clean energy projects in the two regions. CEFF-CCA leverages the expertise and resources of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US Department of State (State Department), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

The CEFF-CCA funding opportunity will remain open until March 31, 2017, or until funds have been completely allocated, whichever occurs first. The overall CEFF-CCA grant pool ceiling for USAID is US$10 million. Within this ceiling, there is no limit to the number of applications or awards.