KINGSTON: The European Union – the largest financial contributor to the energy services company (ESCO) in Jamaica – has cited delays, failed objectives, and a low consumption rate of the funds as reasons why it has walked out on the project designed to increase public awareness of and provide opportunities in the energy industry.
Despite a near end to the public information campaign programme, documents which should have been provided to stakeholders were only just being sent.
Those stakeholders include the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ); the Development Bank of Jamaica; the Private Sector Organisation of the Jamaica; the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica; and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining.
The EU, disappointed that the objectives of the programmes were not being met and that there was a low drawdown on funds provided, saids it would honour existing contracts but would not finance new ones.
Jesus Orus Baguena, head of cooperation for the EU Delegation to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, and The Cayman Islands, said the EU contribution to the project was €431,854 (approximately J$57.3 million), which came from the EU energy facility.
The EU’s contribution was 75 per cent and the Government of Jamaica’s contribution was 25 per cent (J$9 million). The total cost of the programme was €576,546 (J$66 million).
“The role of the EU is in this case, besides the financing, of course, monitoring of the implementation in coordination with the PIOJ. It is through this monitoring that we detected delays and a low consumption rate of the funds while we also noticed that the expected results listed above were not being achieved,” said Orus Baguena in an e-mailed response to questions from The Sunday Gleaner.
He said the project implementation was started in March 2012, with an expected duration of four years (ending 2016).
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