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Fresh row developing re 360 megawatt power project
2014-01-30
We begin with a developing story. There is a fresh row developing at this hour regarding the 360 megawatt power project, expected to bring cheaper electricity to Jamaicans. A decision by the office of utilities regulation not to make public a due diligence report on the company that will carry out the project has been met with concern and questions from lobby groups. Meanwhile, the energy minister Phillip Paulwell has said he will proceed to approve a license for energy world international, despite not seeing the report. The process has been dogged by frequent bouts of controversy; now fresh concerns are emerging about a due diligence report on energy world international, the company which is to build the 360 megawatt plant. The office of utilities regulation has received the report, but it isn’t making it public, it says it is bound by confidentiality obligations which prohibit its disclosure. The regulator says this contains information which includes expressions of opinions and judgments that relate to the commercial reputation and character of the parties. However, the professor Trevor Munroe–led group believes there is information that the OUR can make public. The minister of energy has also not seen the due diligence report, but unlike NIA, he doesn’t seem concerned and is willing to accept what the OUR indicated to him. I pressed him on that issue on direct on Wednesday. The minister said he will sign a critical license for EWI, as early as next week; the power purchase agreement which was signed between EWI and the Jamaica Public Service Company can’t become effective until EWI gets a license. Mr. Paulwell insists he can’t direct the OUR to make the report public, but said the regulator is accountable to parliament; he did not however give an indication of whether parliament would press for this. However, lobby group Jamaica Civil Society coalition is making an application under the access to information act for the information. In the meantime, Professor Munroe of the NIA says his group will continue to press for openness on this matter. He insists Jamaicans are being kept in the dark on a critical project to bring cheaper light.
2014-01-30
We begin with a developing story. There is a fresh row developing at this hour regarding the 360 megawatt power project, expected to bring cheaper electricity to Jamaicans. A decision by the office of utilities regulation not to make public a due diligence report on the company that will carry out the project has been met with concern and questions from lobby groups. Meanwhile, the energy minister Phillip Paulwell has said he will proceed to approve a license for energy world international, despite not seeing the report. The process has been dogged by frequent bouts of controversy; now fresh concerns are emerging about a due diligence report on energy world international, the company which is to build the 360 megawatt plant. The office of utilities regulation has received the report, but it isn’t making it public, it says it is bound by confidentiality obligations which prohibit its disclosure. The regulator says this contains information which includes expressions of opinions and judgments that relate to the commercial reputation and character of the parties. However, the professor Trevor Munroe–led group believes there is information that the OUR can make public. The minister of energy has also not seen the due diligence report, but unlike NIA, he doesn’t seem concerned and is willing to accept what the OUR indicated to him. I pressed him on that issue on direct on Wednesday. The minister said he will sign a critical license for EWI, as early as next week; the power purchase agreement which was signed between EWI and the Jamaica Public Service Company can’t become effective until EWI gets a license. Mr. Paulwell insists he can’t direct the OUR to make the report public, but said the regulator is accountable to parliament; he did not however give an indication of whether parliament would press for this. However, lobby group Jamaica Civil Society coalition is making an application under the access to information act for the information. In the meantime, Professor Munroe of the NIA says his group will continue to press for openness on this matter. He insists Jamaicans are being kept in the dark on a critical project to bring cheaper light.
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