HIGH school students preparing for CSEC and CAPE examinations have been taking advantage of industrial tours at New Fortress Energy’s (NFE) liquefied natural gas facilities, in preparation for their upcoming electrical engineering and environmental science exams.

More than 50 CSEC and CAPE students, along with their teachers from Alphansus Davis High School, Knox Community College, and Old Harbour High School, toured the company’s combined heat and power plant (CCHP) in Clarendon recently to get a practical understanding of the various stages of power generation, energy conversion, the use of steam in energy production, and the environmental benefits of natural gas.

Anthony Norman, geography and environmental science teacher at Knox Community College, said tours like these give students a great opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. “This tour was a very fitting summary of the discussions we’ve had in class. The students now have a practical understanding of the different forms of energy used to generate electricity across Jamaica. Importantly, we also have a greater appreciation for the role of natural gas in electricity generation through gas turbines. This has certainly been helpful, and I have no doubt that it will benefit the students greatly in their exams.”

Old Harbour High School electrical engineering teacher Ingrid Dillon added, “The presentations covered the objectives that were requested, and based on how the students answered the questions that were posed to them, it’s clear that they were well engaged and grasped the concept of power generation using natural gas.”

Meanwhile Janet Raynor, environmental and integrated science teacher for grades seven to 13 at Aphansus Davis High school, said, “This was a very interesting and informative tour. I have no doubt that the explanations and demonstrations will help all the students because energy conversion is a facet of environmental science, and this was explained quite clearly during this tour and from the videos that were shown.”

Located in Hayes, Clarendon, and commissioned in 2020, NFE’s 150MW Clarendon combined heat and power plant is the first of its kind in the region. The gas-fired, co-generation plant supplies steam to the neighbouring Jamalco bauxite facility, and approximately 100MW of baseload power to the national grid.

Verona Carter, vice-president, New Fortress Energy, said; “STEM education is a powerful catalyst in achieving economic sustainability as it fosters innovation and equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to solve global issues.

“As the pioneer in Jamaica’s LNG sector we are therefore proud to partner with these high schools to give students real-life exposure to the world of liquefied natural gas, to help them prepare for their upcoming exams. At NFE we are committed to continue playing our role in helping position Jamaica as a leader in the region, as a forward-thinking country that has successfully diversified its energy sector with the addition of LNG.”