By Monique Martin
Communications Associate, Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica
Jamaica’s leading authority on energy matters, Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) is known for being a powerhouse when it comes to the development and promotion of Jamaica’s energy resources. Established in 1979 as a statutory body under the Ministry of Energy, the PCJ is charged with the responsibility of managing the country’s energy needs in a manner that supports the overall strategy for national development.
Further to this, the Corporation has been actively pursuing solutions aimed at lowering Jamaica’s dependence on imported fossil fuels which at present accounts for 95% of the country’s energy needs. A key strategy that forms a part of the Corporation’s thrust has been investment in and execution of energy intervention projects which drive down energy costs.
In recent months the PCJ’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Department (REEED) implemented a 21.8 kW grid tied renewable energy system at the company’s six-storey resource centre; the first building on the island specifically designed and constructed in the 1980s to demonstrate the technology of reduced energy consumption. The system was implemented at a cost of JA $8.65 million and is comprised of three 400W wind turbines, three 260W solar panels, six micro inverters, eighty-four 240W solar panels, two 10kW string inverters, and data loggers that will enable performance monitoring via the internet. It is expected to produce 2,120 Kilowatt hours (kWh) monthly equating to an estimated 25.55 MWh and savings of at least JA $1 million per annum.
The project at the PCJ was part of a larger initiative which involved the installation of similar PV systems at two other public sector agencies and 15 schools across Jamaica. The $62 million undertaking has the capacity to generate some 344,000 kWh per year and reduce the government’s energy spend by $16 million annually.
Acting Group General Manager, Robert Clarke said, “While the PCJ places considerable emphasis on identifying and developing indigenous resources to increase Jamaica’s self-supply of energy, we are also focused on reducing the country’s electricity demand by facilitating greater energy efficiency and conservation within the Public Sector.”
“At the same time, a priority for the PCJ is to return our own head office building to its original iconic status as one of the most energy efficient corporate facilities in Jamaica, whereby supporting the Government of Jamaica’s (GOJ) drive to have the public sector set the pace in efficiency and conservation and serve as an example for the nation,” he added.
Facilitating the infusion of renewable energy and energy efficient technology into the operations of public sector entities is an important objective for the PCJ. The Corporation is currently serving as the implementing agency for some of the GOJ’s largest energy efficiency programmes. Chief among these is the Energy Management and Efficiency Programme (EMEP), a US$40 million initiative funded jointly by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the European Union and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which will finance efficiency projects at 80 GOJ institutions.
Another programme under the PCJ’s management is the Deployment of Renewable Energy and Improvement of Energy Efficiency in the Public Sector Project, a US $2.1 million collaboration between the Corporation and the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), which will involve energy overhauls at six of Jamaica’s major hospitals. In addition, the PCJ is also in charge of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programme (EECP), under which US $11 million has been invested in energy interventions at 43 public sector entities in the last seven years which has reaped savings of more than US $1.8 million for the GOJ.
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Contact: Camille Taylor | Mobile: +1-876-997-4445 | +1-876-322-4495
Fixed Line: +1-876-929-5380-9 (Ext 253) | Email: Camille.Taylor@pcj.com
About the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica
The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) is a statutory Corporation under the Ministry of Energy which was established in 1979. Its mission is to undertake the development and promotion of Jamaica’s energy resources in support of the National Energy Policy and Vision 2030, the National Development Plan. The PCJ is the parent company of Petrojam Limited, Petrojam Ethanol Limited, Wigton Windfarm Limited and the Jamaica Aircraft Refuelling Services (JARS).
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