Earlier this month, Jamaica Public Service (JPS), Jamaica’s electricity distributor, signed an agreement with New Fortress Energy for the supply of gas to Jamaica, after receiving approvals from the Jamaican Government and the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).
New Fortress Energy will provide JPS with LNG for its 120 MW power plant in Western Jamaica, at Bogue, Montego Bay. The plant is being converted to run on gas instead of Automotive Diesel Oil (ADO).
Kelly Tomblin, JPS’ President & CEO, said: “This is a historic moment for JPS and for Jamaica […] JPS has worked since 2012 to procure gas as part our fuel diversification strategy. We are fortunate that we can now take advantage of technology related to gas shipments and supportive US policies that allow the export of gas to non-FTA countries.
“The move to cleaner fuels and more flexible generation will reduce our environmental footprint by allowing Jamaica to optimise our use of renewables while we simultaneously reduce emissions from our base load generation.”
Wes Edens, Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board of Fortress Investment Group, added: “This agreement opens the door to a new era of energy diversity and independence for Jamaica and its citizens, enabling the region to benefit from cost-effective, stable supplies of US natural gas. Our vision extends far beyond Bogue. This will be the catalyst to establish Jamaica as an energy hub for the Caribbean and Latin America. Jamaica’s the ideal location to execute on this vision, and we intend to invest significantly in energy, port and logistics infrastructure on island. Change takes vision and we applaud JPS, its leadership, and the Government of Jamaica for working tirelessly towards this moment.”
Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly