JPS 'eyeing' 8-MW hydro plant at Great River

Jamaica Public Service Company Limited has secured a Japanese grant to study whether the Great River in St James has sufficient juice to produce electricity on a commercially viable basis.

The river, which runs close to the border of Hanover, is already a tourist attraction used for rafting, and the source of potable water for the greater Montego Bay area.

"The introduction of a power plant facility on the river would in no way interfere with any of these activities and would simply mean that the river is serving the multi-purpose of water supply, tourist attraction and electricity production," JPS said in a release announcing the feasibility study.

Engineering firm Nippon Koei, the sponsor of the study, has also provided JPS with a five-man team to assist with the analysis of the capacity of Great River to power a hydroelectric station.

The team will review previous studies, as well as conduct further investigations on a range of technical issues to determine the appropriate size and type of power plant for the area.

8-Megawatt plant

But JPS says it is "eyeing" an 8-megawatt plant for the site.

The Nippon Koei team is available to JPS for 3-4 weeks.

JPS is not commenting on the cost of the study nor the size of investment to be made, but it has set aside a US$36 million pool of funds for the development of renewable energy sources over a five-year span, 2009-2012.

It has already spent US$1 million to rehabilitate a less than 1-MW capacity hydro plant that it began operating six months ago under lease from owner National Water Commission.

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