THE Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) plans to complete evaluating bids to build out renewable energy by August 5.

But the energy diversification plan may already be delayed by a year.

A total of 115 MW of capacity was initially targeted for commissioning by May 2015.

However, the OUR said that in “recognition that some renewable energy technologies require a longer construction time, the commissioning deadline was extended to mid-2016”, but “successful proposals are free to commission before that time”.

Twenty-eight proposals for the supply of renewable energy in Jamaica were submitted to the regulator on Monday.

The interested entities — 20 in all, of which eight were from local companies — mostly bid to supply renewable energy electricity generation, ranging from 100 kilowatts (kW) to 115 megawatts (MW), using solar technology.

One made a submission for biomass, while two of the proposals were for wind energy.

The documents were opened at the public session, which was attended by the bidders, at the OUR’s Trafalgar Road office.

Last November, the OUR invited bidders to submit proposals for the provision of one or more plants to supply the national grid on a build, own and operate (BOO) basis.

As part of Jamaica’s National Energy Policy (NEP), the Government aimed to increase the proportion of electrical energy generated by renewable techology to 12.5 per cent within two years.

Currently, approximately 64 MW of the 930 MW installed generating capacity in Jamaica is made up of wind and hydroelectric generators.

Another 6.4 MW hydro plant in Magotty, St Elizabeth, is set to come on line next year. Adding another 115 MW to that amount would substantially increase the proportion of electricity generated by renewables.