194MW power plant up and running

The South Jamaica Power Company (SJPC) has completed testing of its brand-new 194-megawatt Old Harbour plant which is operational in time for Christmas.

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, December 17, the plant was declared operational on natural gas. Since then, the plant, which replaces heavy fuel oil used for much of the country’s power generation, has been operating continually, providing clean, efficient power to the national grid.

SJPC broke ground at the Old Harbour bay location in March 2017 and the facility was built at a cost of US$330 million.

The South Jamaica Power Centre is now the most efficient fuel burning power producer in the country and will play a critical role in improving power supply reliability, the Jamaica Public Service Company said in a release last night.

“While we encountered challenges associated with a project of this magnitude, we are happy to declare the plant ready to serve JPS’s customers. We fully expect the inclusion of natural gas in power generation to result in greater fuel diversification and the stabilisation of electricity costs over the long term, while enhancing energy security for the nation,” chairman of the SJPC management committee and JPS board director, Mo Majeed, said.