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Opposition Spokesperson on energy Phillip Paulwell, has placed the blame for skyrocketting electricity costs at the feet of the government.

Paulwell, in a media statement yesterday, said the cost of electricity has nearly doubled since the Andrew Holness-led government took office nine years ago.

"In 2016, the average electricity rate was around US 23 cents per kilowatt-hour. Today, it's over US 40 cents," Paulwell said.

The opposition spokesman said that the government has failed to rein in the cost of electricity, which continues to fuel Jamaica's broader cost-of-living crisis.

"Everything costs more in Jamaica today because electricity costs more, and this Government has done nothing to fix it. Consumers are suffering, businesses are under pressure, and now, with elections on the horizon, they've suddenly discovered concern. It is too little, too late."

Energy minister Daryl Vaz has announced that the JPS's licences for the islandwide generation and distribution of power will not be renewed when it expires in 2027. But Paulwell argued that the government could have acted long ago. He said successive governments have amended utility licences in the past, long before their expiration, in the public interest.

"When I served as minister, I amended the licence in 2016 to facilitate the introduction of liquefied natural gas and to modernise street lighting. There is nothing preventing the Government from taking similar action now. The difference is, we acted. They are stalling," Paulwell said.v