PetroCaribe, Wigton investing millions at Munro

The PetroCaribe Development Fund (PCDF) and Wigton Windfarm Limited will be investing several million dollars in funding and training as part of a renewable energy initiative at the Munro College, St. Elizabeth.



The initiative will see the PCDF investing approximately J$7.7 million to rehabilitate the school’s 225-kilowatt wind turbine, while Wigton will provide technical assistance and training for 4th and 5th form students in renewable energy, as well as the installation and maintenance of the requisite technologies, according to a release from the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica.



It said that at a recent function at Wigton’s corporate headquarters in Kingston, PCDF manager, Sharon Weber, said the investment reflected the importance that the Fund attached to initiatives that could assist in transforming Jamaica’s energy mix.



“Renewable energy will continue to be one of the most important issues for Jamaica going forward and this investment is not only about rehabilitating the wind turbine," said Weber.



"It’s also about making a meaningful connection with these students who, over the long term, have the potential to transform Jamaica’s energy sector in keeping with the renewable energy goals of the National Energy Policy 2009-2030”, she explained.



General Manager of Wigton, Earl Barrett, said the initiative was in keeping with the objectives of establishing Wigton’s Resource Centre, which aims to, among other things, promote green energy education and awareness of wind farm operations among primary and high school students up to Grade 11.



“Over the years Wigton has carried out and/or facilitated numerous training programmes, seminars and workshops aimed at building capacity in the renewable energy sector. This pilot project is no different and we hope that this exercise will encourage the students to pursue careers in the field of renewable energy”, he said.



Barrett said that based on the renewable energy targets, it was extremely important that Jamaica continued to develop a cadre of renewable energy professionals.



The training component of the programme will take place at the Wigton Resource Centre in Manchester and the Munro College.



It will entail lectures, presentations, technology demonstrations and practical hands on exercises. Wigton anticipates that the training will equip students with the required knowledge and skills to assist in the operation, management and maintenance of the school’s wind turbine.



First vice-president of the Munro College Old Boys’ Association and chief architect of the PetroCaribe/Wigton collaboration, C. Lloyd Allen, pledged the commitment of the Association and the school community in working together for the success of the project.



“We want this project to be successful to the extent that it becomes a forerunner for other such energy initiatives at other educational institutions”, said Allen.



The 225 kilowatt generator at the Munro College was commissioned in 1996 and was the first grid-connected wind energy source in the English speaking Caribbean.



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