The Jamaica government says the Mona Reservoir Floating Solar Project in St. Andrew is expected to generate approximately one billion dollars (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) in annual savings for the National Water Commission (NWC).
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda, said the savings should be realized from the pending finalization of wheeling rates.
Wheeling is the transmission of electric energy, measured in megawatt-hours (MWh) from within an electrical grid to an electrical load outside the grid boundaries.
Samuda said pending finalization of the rates, “the NWC should, conservatively, see a reduction in the… overall energy cost per kilowatt hour (KWh) of 30 percent of [the] current rate of approximately US$0.38/KWh, as at August 2022.
“The NWC will be wheeling five-megawatt… of… power to other NWC-qualified facilities under the wheeling regime between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. The projected savings, conservatively, is approximately $1 billion a year,” Samuda said, noting that the savings will be used to improve critical infrastructure and address supply issues.
He said the NWC will power 100 percent of the operations at the Mona treatment plant, utilizing the new solar facility.
“This will result in savings, at today’s energy cost, of approximately $35 million at that facility annually,” he said, noting that the NWC will receive payments of US$25,000 for leasing out the 100 acres of water surface plus four acres of land for the installation of inverters, battery storage and grid stability equipment.
Other benefits under the initiative include decreased evaporation losses from the reservoir’s surface, along with the reduced need to treat algae buildup as well as de-silting capacity gains.
The Mona Reservoir Floating Solar Project pilot was officially launched by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in September.
Derillion Energy Jamaica Limited (DEJL) has partnered with the Aten Group and REIL Energy Investments Limited (REIL), to execute the project, which has a total capital expenditure/investment of US$62.3 million.
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