by Josimar Scott (Jamaica Observer)
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has signaled the intentions of the Government to integrate nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Expo Jamaica 2023 last week Thursday, April 28, 2023, the prime minster revealed that already he had spoken to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field — about using nuclear energy to generate electricity.
The move will form part of the Government of Jamaica’s National Energy Policy which, in part, aims to generate 50 per cent of electric energy from renewable sources by 2030. This, Holness said, will make the supply of electricity “more reliable, more available, and more affordable”.
“Jamaica has to explore new technology in [the form of] nuclear energy — small nuclear plants to generate in Jamaica — which is cheaper, more stable and more affordable,” he explained further.
