Overcoming barriers for clean energy sources in Caribbean small island developing states : Jamaica's nuclear energy readiness as a case study

Abstract

This thesis explores the key barriers Jamaica faces in potentially deploying nuclear energy as part of its long-term energy strategy. The central research problem was to identify and evaluate the readiness of the country to support a nuclear energy program and determine the obstacles that may hinder this potential goal. The study applies an integrated Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) framework to assess the multi-faceted challenges of this endeavor and propose a path forward. A main part of the methodology involved qualitative insights from expert interviews, helping to shed light on each of the PESTLE categories and thereby deducing a SWOT analysis for each of them. Among the key findings, the study reveals that Jamaica’s most significant challenges lie within the technological and social domains. The country currently lacks a trained domestic workforce in nuclear science and engineering, with no educational institutions offering formal nuclear energy programs. Building technical capacity will require years of investment, international cooperation, and early strategic planning. Social barriers may be even more difficult to overcome, driven by public skepticism and distrust toward the government’s capacity to manage a large-scale and complex infrastructure of this magnitude. While public acceptance could be fostered over time through education and engagement, it remains an uncertain factor.