Wigton to go national: Seeking wind experts for 20-site exploration
Published:Friday | January 28, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Avia Collinder, Business Reporter
Wigton Windfarms Limited is laying the groundwork for nationwide expansion, having got hold of a US$750,000-grant from the Inter-American Development Bank to procure consultancy services.
A matching US$230,000 will be provided by parent Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica, for Wigton's Wind and Solar Develop-ment Programme.
The University of the West Indies (UWI) will contribute sweat equity valued at US$26,000, said project coordinator Dr Roger Blair, placing the project cost at US$1.006 million (J$86.5m).
Wigton is requesting, through both local and international channels, expressions of interest for three consultancy contracts related to: the assessment of the wind resources at 20 onshore sites in Jamaica; assess power com-pensation performance at Wigton to reduce energy losses and create a more efficient transmission network; and to conduct a feasibility study to include cost benefit, policy and technical analysis of a utility scale solar facility.
The wind-data collection is to be finalised by December 2012, while the relative power assessment is to be completed in September 2011.
The wind and solar project agreement was signed between the IDB and PCJ in January of 2010.
The first tranche in funding was disbursed that September, but the one-year delay in start-up was due, said Blair, to the requirement by the IDB for procurement and budget information which required research; the hiring of a coordinator; and the establishment of separate bank accounts by the PCJ which, in turn, needed Ministry of Finance approval.
"Disbursement of the money was contingent on a number of conditions," said Blair.
"Altogether, it took six months initially and the project could have started in July 2010. Unfortunately, the first project coordinator selected moved on before starting the project. The project coordinator selection process had to be restarted, and hence the first disbursement took place in September 2010."
Accomplishments since July include selection of the 20 wind monitoring sites, verification of the methods of data collection with UWI and other experts, and publication of general procurement notices.
"We are now close to selecting the consultants and meeting our project timeline of an April 2011 start date," Blair said.
The project has a three-year timeline, which includes the study of a one-megawatt solar facility in Portmore, St Catherine.
The PCJ said last year that Jamaica was exploring 22 new wind-energy sites, to add wind-generated electricity to the existing Wigton I, and a US$49-million Wigton II in southern Manchester.
Wigton II is 100 per cent financed from the PetroCaribe Fund, and is expected to assist in meeting the renewable energy policy target of 11 per cent by 2012. It is also expected that the existing farms, Wigton I and II, will save more than US$2.5 million per year on oil imports.
Wigton's capacity is an estimated 20.7 MW it, however, expects to supply the Jamaica Public Service Company with 7 MW on average.
Wigton I is registered by the United Nations' Framework Convention on Climate Change, and has been trading carbon credits under an Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreement with the Dutch Government since 2005, five years into its April 2000 commissioning.