Jamaica is advancing plans to be among the small developing countries that use nuclear energy for domestic purposes.

Minister of Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr Andrew Wheatley, provided an update on the issue during his recent contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives. He pointed to the damage to the electricity grid caused by Hurricane Melissa last October and the ongoing Middle East War that has caused oil prices to spike, as reasons why Jamaica must move to diversify its energy mix.

“Jamaica’s energy future demands that we think beyond the conventional. Hurricane Melissa did not simply damage our electricity infrastructure — it exposed the structural vulnerability of an energy system overwhelmingly dependent on imported fossil fuels. Every disruption costs us. Every price spike costs us. Every hurricane season costs us,” said Wheatley.