The National Water Commission (NWC) is the single largest consumer of electricity in the public sector, accounting for approximately 47% of public sector energy consumption. The average monthly electricity consumption for the NWC is approximately 15,000,000 kWh, and it spends approximately J$280 million per month on electricity.
The main operations of the NWC are centered on providing potable water and managing sewerage operations in Jamaica. There are more than six hundred and fifty (650) facilities (inclusive of offices) island wide. In terms of production, the NWC supplies approximately 180 million gallons of water per day from just over 160 wells, 116 river sources and 10 springs. Approximately 71% of the island’s population is served by facilities operated by the NWC. These vary in size, ranging from large water storage reservoirs at Mona and Hermitage, located in St. Andrew, the Great River Treatment plant in St. James, to medium sized and small diesel-driven pumping installations serving rural towns and villages across Jamaica.
The Energy Efficiency Programme being proposed for NWC is an initiative that will seek to address the prevalent high energy consumption at the institution. An energy consultant will be contracted to conduct full-scale energy audits of some NWC facilities. From these audits, energy efficiency measures will be identified and a comprehensive energy efficiency investment package developed. The energy efficiency measures identified will form the basis for the implementation of projects at these facilities.
In addition to the energy efficiency measures that will be implemented at specific NWC facilities; the possibility of pumping water via renewable energy will be explored. A proposal to conduct a technical engineering assessment of certain NWC facilities will be developed to determine the best renewable energy technology for each site. The opportunity for earning carbon credits would also be explored.