Prime

Minister Andrew Holness says Jamaica has been aligning itself with the right

contacts and expertise, where it could, one day, develop its own locally

generated solar technology for export.

Holness, who

was giving the keynote address at the inauguration of Paradise Park Solar Farm

in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on October 2, said “projects like these”,

where some of the world’s best known renewable energy producers are

shareholders, “give me the confidence” that Jamaica too could be heading for

the big times.

“The Eight Rivers Energy Company (EREC) is the type of joint venture arrangement that we want to see more of in Jamaica,” the Prime Minister noted, referring to the company that was created for the sole purpose of owning and managing Paradise Park Solar Farm.

“Neoen,

which owns just over 50 per cent of Eight Rivers, is a major global player in

the renewable energy industry. It is also a high-growth company with a presence

in France, Australia, Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Finland, Ireland, Zambia,

Portugal, and now Jamaica. In particular, Neoen operates Europe’s most powerful

solar farm in Cestas, France, and the world’s largest lithium-ion power reserve

in Hornsdale, Australia,” he added.

Holness said that the involvement of a world-class solar-energy company like Neoen in a project in Jamaica is also significant from the standpoint that it speaks to the “demonstrated experience and resources” that are available to EREC in operating and expanding its solar presence in Jamaica.