NESoL sets the record straight

THE EDITOR, Sir:

NATIONAL Energy Solutions Ltd (NESoL), an agency under the Ministry of Science, Energy & Technology, has noted the inflammatory remarks made by Garnett Roper regarding the agency in his Sunday Gleaner article dated July 1, titled ‘Petroscam! Follow the money trail’.

In his article, Roper made reference to a decrease in the number of engineers currently employed to NESoL relative to other categories of employees. NESoL has responsibility for providing rural electrification for Jamaicans and the regularisation of urban electrification. Since the rebranding of the company, from the Rural Electrification Programme (REP) to NESol in 2015, the company has expanded its mandate to include renewable energy solutions and energyconservation strategies.

To reflect the expansion of the agency’s mandate, the number of staff has also changed. However, the percentage of engineers in the staff complement has remained relatively constant. In 2016, six out of a total staff of 52 were engineers. Currently, there are seven engineers out of a total staff of 60. Most important, at no time in NESol’s history has the staff complement ever been mostly engineers.

Currently, NESoL’s staff complement comprises a diverse mix of marketing, accounting, and project management professionals, in addition to its core pool of engineers. This variety is in line with the Government’s public sector reforms, which aim to improve productivity within the sector, in part by ensuring that the right skills are matched with the task at hand.

INACCURATE DESCRIPTION

Roper also inaccurately described the NESoL board as being “inactive”. The NESoL board, comprising 13 members and headed by experienced engineer Oswald Williams, has had regular meetings between April 2016 and June 2018. For the period April 2016 to April 2017, the board met 12 times, and for the period September 2017 to June 2018, the board has met seven times. This performance by no means suggests inactivity.

Additionally, Mr Roper asserted that “The Police (CTOC and MOCA) have all but camped out at NESol, interrogating various members of staff ...” It is important to note that MOCA has never visited National Energy Solutions. Furthermore, CTOC visited the offices of NESoL twice, during which no staff was ever interrogated. Concerning the employee in question, he was promoted in 2017, however, his salary and emoluments were not doubled as per Roper’s assertions

In an attempt to capitalise on the media frenzy surrounding allegations of wrongdoing within the MSET [Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology], Garrett Roper has, whether intentionally or mistakenly, misrepresented the current state of affairs at NESoL. The National Energy Solutions has not been indicted nor has it ever been involved in any money-laundering activities or mismanagement of its day-to-day operations.

CHARMAINE PRAWL-WALLACE

PR and Administration

National Energy Solutions Ltd