THE number of Cuban social workers presently involved in the Jamaica/Cuba Bulb Programme is to be further reduced, according to Kern Spencer, Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Technology, Energy and Commerce.

Spencer told the Observer that the initiative, which began with just over 100 Cubans, now has 50, a number which will be further reduced by ten when the programme begins an additional phase in about four weeks’ time.

“We began with just over 100 Cubans in batches of 25; the next time we expect to have ten in each grouping and complement that with Jamaican persons,” Spencer said.

The minister said this move comes as a number of Jamaicans have “garnered the expertise” to work under the programme.

“What has happened now is that we have some Jamaicans who have garnered the expertise in collecting the data, so we will be reducing the number of Cubans who will be a part of the programme for the mere fact that we are now confident that we have a contingent of Jamaican workers who now understand the programme properly,” Spencer told the Observer.

The programme, which represents the latest initiative by the Government to conserve on the country’s high energy usage, saw the Cuban government donating four million compact fluorescent lamps/energy-saving bulbs to replace the incandescent bulbs which were to be installed by Cuban volunteers.

Spencer, who was speaking at the 39th Annual General Meeting of the National Consumers’ League at the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica in Kingston on Tuesday, noted that the programme was expected to significantly reduce the country’s energy bill in the ensuing years. He told the gathering that it had been going well, despite the gamut of criticism it sparked when it was introduced in February of this year.

“When we decided to go on the islandwide project to put energy-saving bulbs in the households across Jamaica, we were criticised left, right and centre, but we expect that over a four-year period that one programme alone will be cutting the energy bill by some J$10 billion, and we expect that savings will accumulate to the consumer as it will lead to a reduction in the light bill estimated at some $20 billion,” Spencer pointed out.

In the meantime, he said some 400,000 bulbs had been installed in eleven constituencies, with plans being made to address the remaining 49 over a 13-month period.

Meanwhile, the National Consumers’ League has thrown its support behind the programme. According to past president of the League, Joyce Campbell, the NCL endorsed the programme based on the results of a similar programme it had undertaken in the 90s which had targeted 30,000 households.

In 2005, 6.5 million barrels of oil were expended on electricity alone.