Jamaica studies desalination projects for St. Thomas and Clarendon
Key Points(5)
- The Jamaican government is conducting feasibility studies for potential desalination projects in St.
- Thomas and Clarendon as it explores additional ways to boost water supplies in areas experiencing water stress.
- However, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda said the government is not considering desalination as a nationwide solution because of the high costs involved and potential environmental impacts.
- Samuda said the studies are examining whether desalination could provide additional water supplies in selected areas where seawater can be extracted with limited environmental impact.
- Speaking during an interview with Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Chief Executive Officer Giovanni Dennis, Samuda said a national desalination programme would have significant implications for consumers.
The Jamaican government is conducting feasibility studies for potential desalination projects in St. Thomas and Clarendon as it explores additional ways to boost water supplies in areas experiencing water stress.
However, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda said the government is not considering desalination as a nationwide solution because of the high costs involved and potential environmental impacts.
Samuda said the studies are examining whether desalination could provide additional water supplies in selected areas where seawater can be extracted with limited environmental impact.
Speaking during an interview with Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Chief Executive Officer Giovanni Dennis, Samuda said a national desalination programme would have significant implications for consumers.
"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 said.
The government is instead considering desalination on a limited basis in areas where it could help address water shortages.
Samuda said St. Thomas and Clarendon are being assessed as part of a broader approach that would combine desalination with renewable energy generation and storage.
"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," he said.
Under the proposed system, solar-powered infrastructure would be used to extract seawater and pump it to a reservoir for storage. Water released from that reservoir to a lower reservoir would generate electricity, helping to offset the energy costs associated with desalination.
The desalination process would use reverse osmosis, a technology that removes salt and other dissolved substances from seawater to produce freshwater.
Samuda said the proposed projects remain at the feasibility stage, with engineering work expected to begin next year and procurement potentially starting in 2028.
"We’re at the feasibility study phase now, expect to get to engineering next year, and hopefully to the procurement phase by 2028," he said.
The government’s approach reflects an effort to use desalination selectively while avoiding the higher costs and environmental considerations that would come with deploying the technology across Jamaica.
