THE State-owned Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) has signed an agreement with LNG provider New Fortress Energy (NFE) for the expansion of its existing compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling station in Portmore, St Catherine.

The current fuelling station, which was fully funded by New Fortress Energy, was built to support the first five CNG buses that were acquired as part of the Government’s fuel diversification pilot project.

Following its successful completion in 2020, and as part of the framework agreement, NFE provided further capital funding towards the purchase of 20 additional CNG buses, taking the total fleet to 25 in 2023.

In commenting on the importance of the expansion, Energy Minister Daryl Vaz said, “With the addition of the 100 buses that were received on Monday, the Government is happy that New Fortress Energy has decided to fully finance the expansion of the current fuelling station. This expansion will significantly assist JUTC in becoming a more efficient transportation system as the buses will be refuelled in a timely manner. We welcome private/public partnerships such as this as we build a more energy efficient and diverse energy and transportation sectors.”

Founder and chief executive officer of New Fortress Energy Wes Edens, said, “We are pleased that Jamaica has remained steadfast in its commitment to switch from distillate fuels to a cleaner and more environmentally friendly future.

“Jamaica is indeed now a model for the rest of the Caribbean and we at NFE are very proud to be part of this remarkable historic accomplishment by the Government for the Jamaican people. We value our partnership with the Government and stand ready to continue building on this relationship,” he added.