“JPS
is currently working on a proposal which is critically important to guiding the
decision on what size power plant should be built to ensure we obtain the
optimal generation mix and the best results for Jamaica and our customers. The Office
of Utilities Regulation (OUR) has recently granted permission for two
significant renewable energy projects, using wind and solar [which are] to be
undertaken by other energy companies [and] which should be realised in the
media term.”
JPS Co Corporate
Communications Officer Audrey Williams commenting on the effect the
Drought is having on
hydroelectric plants in Jamaica
The
Annual Drought, as I like to call it in Jamaica, isn’t just causing people to
not take regular baths and bathe out of bathtubs.
It’s
also making our Electricity bill go up and forcing the GOJ (Government of
Jamaica) to spend more money on foreign exchange. This as the Drought means
that rivers that normally would be running high are now low and as such, power
from Hydroelectric Plants is down as noted in the article “Drought
cuts hydro energy output 15%”, published Wednesday, August 13, 2014, The Jamaica Observer .
According
to the JPS Co (Jamaica Public Service Company), the contribution of
Hydroelectric Power to the Electricity generated and consumed by Jamaicans
connected to the Grid has dropped by 15%, ostensibly a result of the ongoing
drought.
Not
surprising , as according to Minister of Environment Robert Pickersgill
rainfall levels are at an all time low of 30% below levels typical for June
with Clarendon, Manchester , St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine where four (4) of
JPS's hydro plants are located getting little or no rain!
Hydroelectric Future in
Jamaica – FDI’s will not invest if Rainfall and Rivers so unreliable
This
is bad, as the intent is for Renewable Energy to contribute some 15% to the
overall Electricity Production in Jamaica in 2015. It’s just 23MW from nine (9)
hydroelectric plants, a shortfall that the JPS co can easily fill using
conventional Heavy Fuel Oil Generators.
Still
four parishes with four hydroelectric plants producing no electricity is not a
good sign. According to the JPSCo Corporate Communications Officer, Two (2) of
those hydroelectric plants located in Maggotty, St Elizabeth, are the most
affected by the drought.
The
Roaring River Hydropower Plant in St. Andrew is the least affected as stated by
JPS Co Corporate Communications Officer Audrey Williams, quote: “We are
fortunate to have continued stream flow, though reduced, where our hydroplants
are located. The Roaring River, which supplies the Roaring River Hydropower
Plant, tends to have fairly consistent flow throughout the year”.
This
drought problem doesn’t auger well for hydroelectric future in Jamaica,
though. It suggests that getting FDI
(Foreign Direct Investors) to bid for contracts to build Hydroelectric plants
in a country with such unreliable rainfall will be difficult.
115MW Renewable Energy
Contract – Solar and Wind but Hydro affected by Climate Change
It’s
also good to note that 2015 is the year that the US$4.6 billion dollar
expansion of the Wigton Wind Farm Limited will commence as stated in my Geezam blog article entitled “Wigton
Wind Farms 24 MW Wigton III Project Priced at US$4.6 Billion to start 2015”.
Wigton III Project expansion will see some
24MW of power added to the wind Farm, bringing up the total to some 62.7MW.
Combined with the other winners of the Bid to supply some 115MW of Renewable Energy
to the National Grid as explained in my blog article
entitled “Wigton
Wind Farms Limited submits Bid Bond for 24MW Wind Farm - 78MW Total from WWFL,
BMR and WRB Enterprises Inc means were 37MW short on Renewable Energy”.
The
total contribution will be some 78MW, with a shortfall of 37MW from the
above-mentioned total of 115MW. What will Hydroelectric Power contribute to that
total remains to be seen. This Drought, really, highlights the effects of
Climate Change and how heavily interconnected the Weather is to how we treat
the environment and protect our natural resources.
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