KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, has indicated that feasibility studies are being conducted in St Thomas and Clarendon to assess the viability of potential desalination projects.

Desalination is the process of removing salt and other minerals from seawater to produce freshwater suitable for drinking, agriculture and industrial use.

Responding to questions during a Ministerial Interview with Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Chief Executive Officer, Giovanni Dennis, at the ministry’s offices on Half-Way Tree Road in St Andrew on Wednesday, Samuda noted that desalination is not being considered as a nationwide solution due to its high cost and potential environmental impacts.

“Desalination, if it were done at a national level, would significantly change the average tariff that you pay at the household and commercial level for water,” he explained.

The minister noted, however, that the Government remains open to exploring desalination on a limited scale in water-stressed areas where it could help augment supplies and where the environmental impact of seawater extraction would be minimal.

“We have looked at options for St Thomas and, indeed, for Clarendon. But what needs to be understood in how we have looked at desalination, is that desalination will also have to be accompanied by integrated energy projects,” Samuda stated.

He explained that the feasibility studies are being conducted in connection with a proposed integrated pumped hydro storage system, under which seawater would be extracted using solar-powered infrastructure and pumped to a reservoir for storage and subsequent use.

“We would generate energy by releasing water from that reservoir to a lower reservoir and, in that process, you would extract the salt from the water… [the process is] called reverse osmosis. The energy generated would allow us to afford the extraction,” the minister outlined.

Samuda indicated that, “we’re at the feasibility study phase now, expect to get to engineering next year, and hopefully to the procurement phase by 2028”.

— JIS