Ian Hayles presses government on NWC power costs and stalled water projects

Opposition Member of Parliament Ian Hayles has urged the government to stop talking about energy efficiency and act, warning that the National Water Commission's dependence on Jamaica Public Service power is undermining water delivery and draining public funds.

Speaking in the House, Hayles said only one of thirteen projects identified by the minister has been completed, while nine have not yet started. He said crises have exposed how fragile the energy system is, and argued that within ten years JPS should serve mainly as a backup rather than the primary power source for pumping water.

Hayles told legislators the NWC pays an estimated $1 billion monthly in electricity costs to move water. If technology cut that JPS bill by half, he said, Jamaica could save up to $60 billion over the next decade. "Can you imagine how many more people in rural constituencies could get water with those savings?" he asked.

He also pointed to the Auditor General's report, which found the NWC owes about $33 billion to creditors and has roughly $5 billion in outstanding collections. Liquidity problems leave the utility struggling to pay its bills, including power charges. The report showed that in 2016–2017 the NWC held 80 cents for every dollar of short-term debt owed; by 2023–2024 that ratio had fallen to 50 cents.

Hayles said energy-efficiency solutions are now critical and urgent. After the minister spoke of mobilising investment in the water sector, he raised concerns about what he called an ad hoc approach to funding. He questioned the Western Resilience Project, valued at US$425 million, with phase one costing US$176 million. That phase includes replacing the transmission main between Montego Bay, the Great River Water Treatment Plant, and the Queen of Spain Martha Brament Plant in Trilani, where non-revenue water loss is estimated at 71 percent. Work also targets the corridor west through Lucy to Negril, where losses run as high as 68 percent.

Hayles argued that road and water infrastructure along that corridor is being upgraded to support further tourism expansion, and asked whether that was the most cost-effective solution. Referring to stakeholder meetings in Negril in 2024, he said residents of Westmoreland need a clear answer on whether there is enough water to meet residential and tourism demand over the next fifty years.