Jamaica has launched a national green hydrogen strategy and roadmap to foster a regional green hydrogen economy. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is funding the initiative, with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) implementing it.
Project Goals
The project seeks to enable Jamaica to understand the potential of green hydrogen technology. It will also map out a national strategy and pinpoint economic, environmental, and social benefits. Green hydrogen production utilizes electricity from renewable sources, ensuring minimal greenhouse gas emissions.
Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with Responsibility for Water, Environment, Climate Change, and the Blue and Green Economies, explained the project addresses a key need, "This project responds to that need by helping us understand the potential for green hydrogen technology, map out a national green hydrogen strategy, and identify how Jamaica can benefit economically, environmentally, and socially from its future deployment."
Regional Impact
Jamaica's involvement places it among nations like Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, and Uruguay as leaders in clean technology. This project corresponds with Jamaica’s national research agenda. The project will bolster national-level efforts, improve regional networking and knowledge building, and deliver needed expertise.
Vincent Sweeney, Head of the UNEP Caribbean Sub-regional office, shared that the work is intended "to enhance national-level upstream efforts, improve regional networking and knowledge building, and provide expertise to enable countries like Jamaica to make the right decisions." Sweeney added, "We hope that the Green Hydrogen Economy Initiative will contribute in meaningful ways to Jamaica’s priority to accelerate its Just Energy Transition (JET)."
Participating Nations
The Green Hydrogen Economy Initiative includes seven participating nations. Jamaica, El Salvador, and Honduras comprise Group A, while Chile, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Bolivia form Group B. Group A nations are currently in the discussion phase, while Group B nations have already started establishing policy frameworks or initiating hydrogen production.
The project launched on July 1, 2025, at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, with a corresponding workshop.
Minister Samuda said the benefits for Jamaica could be significant, "For Jamaica, the benefits could be significant – reducing greenhouse gases while supporting our NDCs (nationally determined contributions); creating high-value green jobs, especially in research, logistics, and new industrial sectors; opening new market opportunities in clean fuel and, of course, export-oriented innovation; and, most importantly, strengthening our energy transition in a way that supports economic growth and climate resilience."
Sweeney emphasized the importance of green hydrogen, noting, "Green hydrogen is not only key to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, but generally it can also accelerate the decarbonisation of existing hydrogen production, from fossil fuels and facilitating energy transitions [to] achieving near-zero greenhouse gas emission reductions." He added that it is "[It is] critical to support pioneers in the sector by facilitating the transition to green hydrogen and replacing current consumption of what they call grey hydrogen, which is hydrogen produced from natural gas or methane, which still dominates across the globe." Ambassador Professor Dale Webber, Jamaica’s first Special Envoy for Climate Change, Environment, Ocean, and the Blue Economy also participated in the launch.
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