President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port Authority of Jamaica Professor Gordon Shirley has revealed that already one regional country is set to receive liquified natural gas (LNG) from the terminal here, which is poised to become LNG hub in the Caribbean.

“We are already aware that at least one of these (regional) nations will be receiving gas from our Montego Bay facility,” Professor Shirley revealed.

“The presence of liquified natural gas in Montego Bay is no doubt a source of additional interest in the international community, especially the small regional economies that are looking on and plan to utilise LNG as a fuel source.”

He was, on Friday evening, speaking at the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and New Fortress ‘Gas to Jamaica Celebration’ at the site of the grounds of the JPS Bogue plant.

CEO of New Fortress Wes Edens argued that Jamaica’s approach to diversify energy will be replicated throughout the Caribbean.

“I think it is a celebration of what is to come, because I think what you see around you is the model of what is going to happen around the Caribbean; I think what you see around you is a model of what is going to happen around the world,” Edens said.

“I think in a couple years the majority of your energy here will be from natural gas from natural resources.”

The Government’s drive to bring cheaper and cleaner energy to consumers has been advanced with the arrival of LNG for the JPS power plant in Bogue, St James, last month.

Supplied by New Fortress Energy, the shipment arrived at the Port of Montego Bay on October 22.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrew Holness noted that energy is the most successful structural adjustment endeavour which Jamaica has been pursuing over the past two decades.

He predicted that the economic growth programme will also be prosperous.

“Our economic programme, specifically our fiscal programme, and now moving into our economic growth programme, these will also be successful and reap significant results. At the end of these adjustments we are going to have a different Jamaica,” a confident Holness remarked.

“I want you to just imagine for a moment, the possibilities that will come as a result of a restructured energy environment. Because we now have LNG, we could have our buses using LNG.”

Meanwhile, Energy Minister Dr Andrew Wheatley was encouraged that the thrust to diversify energy sources is bearing fruit.

“We were recently recogised by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) for having the best government infrastructure strategy in the Caribbean, mainly because of our ongoing efforts to diversify our energy sources,” Dr Wheatley declared.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team Dr Vincent Lawrence described the accomplishment of the mission to bring natural gas to Jamaica as “a long journey for our country”.

“Over 20 years ago, a strategic decision was taken that it would be in Jamaica’s best interest to diversify both the type of fuel utilised and the source of our fuel supply,” Dr Lawrence recounted.