Jamaica seeks cheaper energy after high electricity bills ^{CEFR B1}

After Hurricane Beryl in July, many customers said electricity bills rose sharply and complained to the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS). Energy minister Daryl Vaz asked the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to check the bills. The OUR recommended that customers who had estimated July bills should pay 40 percent less on their August bills.

Small business owner Sasha Williams, who runs a bar in Portland, said the high bills harmed her business and noted that commercial customers pay higher rates. Jamaica imports all the oil it uses for electricity and transport, so the government has long looked for cheaper alternatives.

Officials have focused on solar and more recently on ocean-based renewables, such as offshore wind farms and ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC). JPS Director Ricardo Case said these projects are very expensive, need large international funding and would not cut costs in the short term. He suggested public-private partnerships, green funds and IPOs or floating bonds over 10 years to help finance start-up and maintenance costs. Experts also said designs must protect plants from hurricanes and that careful environmental assessments are necessary.