$800-m wind power plant for Munro

BY MARK CUMMINGS Observer West senior reporter cummingsm@jamaicaobserver.com

Thursday, October 07, 2010

MUNRO, St Elizabeth — The Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd (JPS) will commission an $800-million wind power plant in this community next Wednesday as

part of a fuel diversification effort to reduce its dependence on imported fuel.

The four turbines erected at the facility — which is located on generally steep slopes not higher that 700 meters above sea level-- will add 3 megawatts of power to the national grid.

The contract for the development of the farm was signed in December 2009, while actual construction at the site began six months later and ended last month.

Roughly 100 local direct jobs were created in the development of the farm, which was undertaken by UNISON, out of Korea.

Wind energy avoids important costs associated with conventional resources, such as:

* the country's trade deficit from important foreign oil and other fuels;

* the health and environmental costs of pollution and the cost of depleted resources.

According to the JPS, the Munro farm with its wind turbines built to withstand up to Category 5 hurricanes, will assist in the reduction of imported fuel, resulting in annual savings for the island.

" The potential also exists to develop the site as a tourist attraction, as is done in some countries," said the utility company.

Meanwhile, the JPS said persons living in the Munro community will not benefit from lower electricity rates, due to the construction of the farm.

" Electricity charges are not determined by the customers' proximity to a generating plant. The power to be provided by the wind turbines will go to the national grid for distribution along with the electricity from JPS' other generating plant," said the light and power company.

"As more renewables are introduced into the system, the amount of money spent on imported oil for electricity generation will be reduced. Where there is a reduction in the cost of fuel used to generate electricity, all customers will benefit from a reduction in the Fuel Charges on their bills," the JPS explained.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at next week's event.