Jamaica Launches Utility-Scale Solar & Wind Tender

• JPS has invited bids from EPC contractors to build utility-scale renewable energy and BESS projects on a turnkey basis 
• It includes 115 MW solar, 12 MW onshore wind, and 171.5 MW with 2 hours/day BESS capacity 
• Solar power plant is scheduled to enter construction in Q4/2025 and come online in Q1/2026 

State-owned electricity utility of Jamaica, the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) has launched a tender for a 115 MW utility-scale solar and 12 MW onshore wind energy plant. Battery energy storage system (BESS) of 171.5 MW with 2 hours/day capacity is part of the call. 

The request for expression of interest (EOI) seeks the services of an EPC contractor to design and construct this capacity in phases between 2025 and 2027. Shortlisted preferred bidders will move to the next round to submit formal bids. 

Likely to be located on greenfield parcels of land, projects will be located across the country. The construction timeline for the solar power plant is scheduled for Q4/2025. Commercial operation for the solar project is expected in Q1/2026 when it is expected to generate 237.57 MWh annually.  

Energy generated will be delivered and sold on an energy tariff basis; hence, JPS will evaluate interested companies on a levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) basis, according to the tender documents. Projects need to be built on a turnkey basis. 

The EOI was published on November 27, 2023, and the last date to respond is December 15, 2023. Details are available on JPS' website. 

JPS, with Japan's Marubeni Corporation and Korea's East West Power Company as its majority shareholders, currently operates 1.04 GW generation capacity. Of this, it owns 541 MW with remaining 501 MW owned by independent power producers (IPP). 

At the end of 2022, Jamaica's cumulative installed solar PV capacity was 93 MW, having stayed constant since 2019, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Its total renewable energy installed capacity was 257 MW.  

In September 2023, Jamaica's Generation Procurement Entity (GPE) invited bids for the supply of up to 100 MW renewable energy including solar PV generation technology (see Jamaica Diversifying Power Generation Mix).