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Debate surrounding the proposed construction of a 360 megawatt power plant for Jamaica has been reignited with calls coming from all quarters it seems for more transparency in the matter.
This round of debate got started when the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) announced on Thursday that it was considering the recommendation of a license to Energy World International (EWI), the preferred bidder on the project, but stressed that it could not reveal confidential details on the ongoing process.
The OUR, in its release, said that a critical component in considering the grant of the license was the information received from the conduct of due diligence on EWI.
In response to demands for transparency in the process, the OUR stressed that it was "constrained by statutory and confidentiality obligations which prohibit the disclosure of such material."
It said the nature of due diligence requires that the reports are issued under strict confidence "as they contain information which includes expressions of opinion and judgments that touch and concern the commercial reputation and character of the parties to which they relate, and are therefore attended with a high risk of litigation."
Nevertheleess, the regulatory agency disclosed that the information regarding due diligence had been shared with the Office of the Contractor General "with whom the OUR is permitted to disclose such content."
That has not silenced the calls for more information on the project, however, and now the Energy Monitoring Committee (EMC) wants the OUR to delay making a recommendation the Minister of Energy on whether EWI) - the preferred, should be granted a license. That recommendation could come as early as this week.
According to Peter Melhado, the Co-Chairman of the EMC, the committee has identified several areas that could be in need of further due diligence.
Earl Moxam, host of RJR's weekly news review show - "That's a Rap" and his panelists, Nadeen Spence, social commentator and PhD candidate, Joseph Cox, economist, and Vernon Davidson, Executive Editor at the Jamaia Observer discussed the issue.
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