$1 billion for electrification project

The Government is investing $1 billion in the Community Electrification Project, which will connect more than 20,000 households to the national electricity grid free of cost, providing them with legal, safe, and affordable access to prepaid electricity.

Beneficiaries will be identified through electrification fairs and sensitisation sessions administered by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, which is the implementing agency for the project. The funds will go towards paying for house wiring and the government electrical regulator inspection to regularise the electrical connections to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) grid. It will also support the prepaid metering solution and a one-time $4,000 credit for a six-month period to the beneficiaries. It is estimated to cost an average of $160,000 to wire and connect a single home to the JPS system.

Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, Daryl Vaz, said, "We are ensuring that no Jamaican is left behind as we strive towards universal energy access by 2030 as outlined in our national development roadmap," he said.