KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s renewable energy efforts have taken a hit as Paradise Park in Westmoreland has sustained catastrophic damage, while other renewable players await the restoration of their connections with the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS).

InterEnergy Group, owners of the Eight Rivers Solar Park in Paradise, Westmoreland, updated the public on Tuesday about the 51.5 MWp (37 MW) facility.

Hurricane Melissa, which delivered winds exceeding 185 mph (295 km/h), has caused catastrophic damage to the property. This has forced the owners to move forward with a reconstruction plan to bring Jamaica’s largest solar project back online.

“Our priority will always be our people and the communities where we operate. In Jamaica we have witnessed the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and we are committed to supporting the country’s recovery with concrete actions.

We will immediately begin rebuilding the Eight Rivers Solar Park in a stronger, safer, and more resilient way, reaffirming our commitment to the energy future of Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said Rolando González Bunster, chairman and CEO of InterEnergy Group in a press release.
InterEnergy Group purchased the Eight Rivers Solar Park in March for US$18 million. MPC Caribbean Clean Energy Limited (MPCCEL) was one of the former shareholders in the asset and received US$5.87 million from the sale.

According to MPCCEL’s 2024 annual report, Paradise Park generated 72.07 GWh of electricity in 2024 with a performance ratio of 75.75 per cent. The solar park generated electricity at US$0.097 per kilowatt hour which is lower than the US$0.292 per kilowatt hour average price in Jamaica.
When Hurricane Beryl struck in July 2024, MPCCEL noted that the plant was disconnected for 10 days and had to increase its operating expenses related to the hurricane, which included fence repairs and additional security services.

Despite the constraints from this setback, InterEnergy Group has arranged for the arrival of the International Medical Relief (IMR) team to visit Jamaica and is working to distribute 4,000 care packages to the hardest-hit communities across western Jamaica.

InterEnergy Group also owns the 36.6 MW Blue Mountain Renewables (BMR) wind energy project in Potsdam, St Elizabeth.

According to the Government of Jamaica’s (GOJ) March 2025 Annual Report (Form 18-K) submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Eight Rivers Solar Park generates 80 GWh each year while BMR generates 97 GWh each year. Wigton Energy Limited (formerly Wigton Windfarm Limited) phase II and III projects have an installed capacity of 42 MW and was stated to generate 117 GWh each year.

InterEnergy Group continues to supply 250 MW of power to the national grid via its thermal power plants which include Doctor Bird I and II, West Kingston Power Partners (WKPP) and Jamaica Private Power Company (JPPC).

Although BMR was in St Elizabeth, Dr Wayne McKenzie, country manager of InterEnergy Jamaica explained that BMR’s turbines were okay and ready to be dispatched.

“We have completed that inspection and all our units are okay. So it’s now ready to be connected to the grid. I understand JPS is now ready and should be energising all the interconnecting lines for all of the renewables by this weekend,” Dr McKenzie told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

Wigton Energy provided an update on October 31 that it had no damage to phase II (18 MW) and phase III (24 MW), but phase I (20.7 MW) had limited damage to certain wind turbines. It was in the process of executing repairs and restoration work to phase I and awaiting JPS to connect the Rose Hill, Manchester, property back to the grid.

“While WIG’s internal restoration activities are advancing, the affected transmission lines that connect the wind farm to the national grid must first be inspected and re-energised by the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) before the wind turbines can be fully tested and returned to service. WIG continues to work closely with JPS to facilitate this process and ensure a safe and timely restoration of grid connection,” Wigton stated.

According to the GOJ’s facts, 11 per cent of Jamaica’s electricity needs in 2024 came from renewable energy resources. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) was responsible for the largest share of the country’s electricity mix at 59 per cent, with petroleum products responsible for 30 per cent.

Although more Jamaicans are turning to solar power to reduce their electricity costs, there are four large-scale renewable energy projects that supply the national grid. While the GOJ’s table adds up to 135.6 MW, it goes up to 156.3 MW when Wigton’s phase I is included. Thus, the disruption of Eight Rivers Solar Park means that 23-27 per cent of this renewable energy generation will be offline.

Wigton Energy is currently in the process of transitioning its phase I space into a solar-powered operation. Wigton is also working on developing a 49.83 MW solar facility in Lionel Town, Clarendon, while SunTerra is working on a 50MW solar facility in Duncans, Trelawny.

Both power purchase agreements (PPA) for Wigton and SunTerra are under review by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). Wigton is estimating that its combined 70.53 MW solar projects will cost $10 billion (US$61.98 million) to execute.

This reduction in renewable energy contribution and JPS’ temporary switch to automotive diesel oil (ADO) could result in higher electricity bills for Jamaicans. The OUR completed a fuel rate investigation into JPS in December 2024.

The use of ADO resulted in a 24.5 per cent increase in the JPS fuel rate, while heavy fuel oil and natural gas use increased the fuel rate by 21.81 per cent and 26.26 per cent, respectively.

JPS switched off liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Hurricane Beryl and Hurricane Melissa as a preventative measure. This meant that the floating storage regasification unit that provides JPS was demobilised due to the hurricane.