THE MINISTRY of Agriculture has began discussions with sugar industry stakeholders, the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) in a bid to establish a co-generation plant at Frome, Westmoreland.
Co-generation involves the production of both commercial electricity and heat for the milling of cane in a single operation. Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke made the announcement in December stating that the production of commercial electricity, through co-generation, has been proven to be an economically viable option for the region's sugar producers. According to the minister, co-generation is able to provide a reliable source of relatively low cost electricity from renewable fuel source such as bagasse or coal.
