Monymusk to get solar powered irrigation system
ST ANDREW, Jamaica — The Monymusk sugar factory in Clarendon is set to become the first in Jamaica to have its irrigation system powered by solar energy.
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Karl Samuda, made the announcement at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SCJ Holdings Ltd and BMR Energy LLC at the St Lucia Avenue offices of his ministry.
Samuda stressed the need for the consistent supply of irrigation to the fertile lands at Monymusk and said that the solar system was expected to supply some 50 per cent of the energy required to power the irrigation system.
Under the MoU, BMR will also explore other options from biomass, renewable and other fuel sources to supply the electrical energy needed by the sugar refinery.
Welcoming the partnership with BMR Energy, the agriculture minister said the solar initiative was important to the sugar industry and to the country at large. It would not only serve to reduce the cost of energy, he said, but also to increase production and to attract more investors to a more efficient system.