Abengoa has been selected by Jamaica Public Service (JPS) to carry out the engineering and construction work for a 190 MW combined cycle plant that will be the largest of its kind in Jamaica. The contract for the plant, which will be powered by natural gas and cooled by sea water, is worth more than US$200 million.
Abengoa will be responsible for the design, engineering and construction work of a plant that will replace an existing fuel-oil facility and is expected to create between 300 and 500 jobs during the construction phase. It will be located in the fishing village of Old Harbour Bay, around 76 km west of Kingston, Jamaica.
JPS wants to decommission the existing fuel-oil plant and move to a natural gas facility to create a cleaner, efficient and more reliable source of power. The upgrade to this plant reflects the government’s energy policy of generating up to 20 % of Jamaica’s power from renewable sources. The island currently relies on multiple plants to supply power to the island and Old Harbour is one of its oldest and least efficient plants.
The plant will use a seawater cooling system that returns the warm water without adversely impacting the environment.