Eight Rivers Energy Company expects to start construction of the largest solar energy plant in Jamaica by December, according to local newspaper »The Gleaner«. The solar plant with a capacity of 37 MW is located at Paradise Park, Westmoreland. It would become nearly twice the size of the largest solar plant in Jamaica, says the article. The construction phase will last a year and it is expected that the installation will need some 200 to 300 employees. Commissioning will be December 2018. Eight Rivers will own and operate the plant and will at times engage the use of subcontractors.
In March, Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS) has signed a PPA with Eight Rivers. Under the agreement, JPS will purchase power from the solar provider for 20 years, up to the year 2038. According to a former announcement the project will contribute to the grid at $0.0854 per kWh. The tender for the project was issued in 2012. Project partners are independent power producer Neoen, MPC, Ferrostaal and Rekamniar Frontier Ventures.
According to an announcement of the US Embassy in Kingston in December 2016, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will help to develop the solar farm with a grant through the Clean Energy Finance Facility for the Caribbean and Central America (CEFF-CCA). Former US President Obama launched CEFF-CCA in 2015. The program seeks to encourage private sector investment in clean energy projects in the two regions.