Shaw commissions Little Park Solar-Powered Pump Station into operation

The Little Park district of St Elizabeth now has a newly commissioned solar-powered pump station that will benefit 390 farmers within the area.

Implemented by the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), the project comprises a photovoltaic system utilizing 600 solar panels along with two 100-kilowatt invertors. Located on one and a half acres of land, the pump station will be able to self-generate 37% of the energy requirement for the pump facility.

“With this upgrade, the NIC’s annual electricity bill from the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited is projected to be reduced by 20% or J$9 million,” stated Audley Shaw, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, at the commissioning ceremony for the project on Thursday, December 16, 2021.

The solar project is expected to provide significant support to agricultural production within the Little Park area as the farmers will now have greater and more reliable access to water.

An additional two phases of the project will come on stream shortly geared at increasing the total capacity at pump station to 350 kilowatt.

The system is designed to withstand category 4 hurricane wind pressures and is aimed at utilizing renewable energy to reduce water production costs. This is the third NIC pump facility to be retrofitted, joining the Bengal Pump Station in Trelawny and Ebony Park in Clarendon. 

“We want agriculture to rebound as one of the top industries in Jamaica. And it is projects like this one at Little Park F3 Pump Station that will facilitate the recovery of the sector,” stated Shaw.

The Agriculture Minister further stated that as the issue of climate change becomes more widespread, decisive action needs to be taken in the area of energy systems that are being utilized. This, he says, is in line with the Government’s commitment to developing and implementing policies and systems to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis, and maximizing usage of renewable energy.

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