By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE RURAL Electrification Programme (REP) the entity with the mandate of extending electricity to rural communities is seeking to become self-sustaining as it moves to implement new revenue-generating measures.
The management of the REP says it will be providing engineering services at market rates to other public sector agencies as well as private sector companies.
Noting that the REP has already done engineering work for one of the island's telephone companies, as well as the Urban Development Corporation, Keith Garvey, managing director of the REP, said the company had to look at how it can get extra funding for itself such as doing jobs for the National Housing Trust and the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC).
"We have begun dialogue with several public sector companies, with a view of ascertaining how we can do some of their electrical and engineering works," he said.
Earlier this week, the REP carried out some electrical work for the NHDC and the company envisages a closer partnership with that entity over the coming months.
"Money garnered from work on projects with the private and public sectors will be ploughed back into our coffers, to expand our light and power programmes in rural areas," Mr. Garvey said.
Meanwhile, the REP has not ruled out international funding. Funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for one of the company's major projects (Programme 5, Phase C) has come to an end, but in the bid to facilitate the construction of another 200 miles of power lines, the entity will soon be seeking financing from international lending agencies which provide "soft loans".
According to the management of that light and power entity, it is now drafting a plan for a new electricity expansion project -Programme 6 - and will be approaching the CDB with the proposal.
In addition, K. Steve Ashley, chairman of the REP, said the company will be looking to see how it could benefit financially from money that will accrue from the oil agreement that the Government has with Nigeria.
These novel approaches by the REP come at a time when the firm has created a record achievement in its electricity expansion programmes. It is the first time in the 25-year history of the REP that during a 12-month period, the company provided electricity to as many as 18,000 first-time customers, and constructed 100 miles of power distribution lines.
According to Mr. Ashley the REP surpassed all its major targets last year, implementing electricity expansion programmes to rural Jamaica, to the tune of just over $300 million.
Giving an update on Programme 5, Phase C of the REP, Mr. Garvey said the project which was scheduled to end in December is statistically completed.
Blaming the tropical storms of September/October for some minor glitches in the programme, he expressed confidence that the project will be wrapped up before the financial year draws to a close in March. "The target for the programme of establishing 90 miles of distribution lines in 13 parishes, has already been completed. So only some house wiring remains incomplete," said Mr. Garvey.
Among the areas where house wiring remains unfinished are: Springfield district in Clarendon, Granville to Maxfield Settlement in Trelawny and Elgin Town to Cue Bridge in Hanover.
