Bogue Power Plant Archives - SolarBuzz Jamaica

JPS Sees Positive Outcome From Softbank Acquisition Of Fortress Group

February 20, 2017 Webmaster

In this November 2016 photo, co-chairman of Fortress Wes Edens (left) poses with Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness and President & CEO of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) Kelly Tomblin at the offcial commissioning of the JPS LNG plant at Bogue in Montego Bay.

Power utility boss Kelly Tomblin views Softbank’s acquisition of Fortress Investment Group, to which New Fortress Energy is affiliated, as positive for furthering plans to build out gas facilities in Jamaica,

American company New Fortress Energy is a gas supply partner to Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS).

Last November, the partners celebrated the commissioning of Jamaica’s first LNG-fired plant at Bogue in Montego Bay, and they are about to start development on another gas facility in St Catherine. In both cases, New Fortress invests separately in the gas-supply infrastructure, while JPS develops the power plant.

The marine terminal and gas power plant development at Old Harbour in St Catherine is to get off the ground “in a couple of weeks,” said Tomlin, the president and CEO of JPS, on Friday.

JPS secured funding locally for its plant, while New Fortress planned to finance the project themselves with cash rather than debt, Tomlin, who noted that the acquisition by Softbank means “they will have a lot more cash”.

New Fortress did not return Gleaner calls up to press.

Last Wednesday, the two parties jointly announced a US$3.3 billion deal for Softbank of Japan to acquire New York-based Fortress Investment Group. Fortress, which is co-chaired by Pete Briger and Wes Edens, said its senior executives would remain with the company.

EXCITED ABOUT DEAL

“I am in dialogue with Wes Eden,” said Tomblin. “I am assured that this acquisition doesn’t harm the project and that also he is excited about this deal; and so too the members on the ground who work for New Fortress,” said Tomlin.

Asked about any other implication to Jamaica, she said there would be “absolutely none”.

New Fortress plans to build and operate a liquefied natural gas marine terminal and pipeline within the Portland Bight area or close to the Goat Islands, according to the environmental report released last year.

The project will be executed through affiliate NFE South Holdings Limited. The marine terminal will feed gas to the 190MW plant that JPS will be developing at Old Harbour.

Gleaner

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Holness: ‘Get It Right’ On Energy

October 27, 2016 Webmaster

Prime Minister Andrew Holness addresses the opening ceremony of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators Conference in Montego Bay, St James, yesterday.

Asserting that “we must get it right”, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged utility regulators to take seriously their role in helping the Caribbean ease its dependence on oil and embrace technologies and renewables key to energy diversification.

The regulators’ role, he said, is linked to the creation of partnerships with investors who want returns, consumers and governments pushing for the economic development of their countries.

Holness was addressing the opening ceremony for the 14 Organisation Of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) conference at the Secrets Resorts & Spa in Montego Bay, St James.

A variety of issues are set for discussion over three days by the more than 160 regional and international experts.

However, Holness, noting the importance of energy to the region’s development and the current high levels of dependence on oil, made it clear that the issue should be at the top of the agenda.

“Energy is clearly the mission-critical frontier,” he said, pointing to the role of Jamaica’s Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) in helping Jamaica introduce liquefied natural gas (LNG) as part of the energy mix.

“The OUR approved the funding for the conversion of the Jamaica Public Service Bogue plant to enable the move from heavy dependence on oil to diversifying to LNG. I applaud the OUR in this regard for being a strong regulator and helping to make this move a reality – to take Jamaica on this new platform. This is a great example of collaboration among Government, regulator, and utility,” Holness added.

A shipment of LNG supplies arrived in Jamaica last week Saturday, and in two weeks, is expected to be in full use.

TAKE ROLE SERIOUSLY

The prime minister emphasised that regulators have to take seriously their role in helping the Caribbean Community implement the Caribbean energy policy that was approved in 2013.

That policy promotes a shift in sustainable energy through increased use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, among other things.

“OOCUR, you have your work cut out for you as not only is Jamaica focused on diversifying its energy mix, so, too, is CARICOM, and we must get it right in the region. Access to affordable energy is a necessary requirement for addressing sustainable development in the region,” Holness said.

He also argued that while there is need for partnership with all stakeholders in the provision of utilities, the providers must insist on self-regulation to ensure that standards are upheld and service delivery is at a high quality.

Earlier, Albert Gordon, chairman of OOCUR, said the conference was happening at a time when regulation was becoming more important for sustainable development.

The conference schedule has placed heavy emphasis on renewable energy and investment.

Jamaica and many other small-island states of the Caribbean are heavy importers of oil, which increases their vulnerabilities to external shocks such as sharp oil price rises. Except for Trinidad and Tobago, the only net exporter of oil and natural gas, all other Caribbean countries are net oil importers.

“For importers other than Suriname, around 87 per cent of primary energy consumed is in the form of imported petroleum products. Imports are mostly diesel fuel for electricity generation, gasolene for transportation, and liquefied petroleum gas used as cooking gas in households,” experts noted in a paper titled ‘Caribbean Energy: Macro-Related Challenges’ released in March by the International Monetary Fund.

This, they said, has led to consistently high electricity rates, which affects the competitiveness and development of CARICOM nations.

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LNG Marine Terminal For Set Up In Portland Bight Area

September 19, 2016 Webmaster

In this August 2016 photo, New Fortress Energy (NFE) hosts a tour of its Montego Bay terminal. Walking the port are (from left) Brendan McElmurray of NFE, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Dr Horace Chang, Attorney General and Member of Parliament for West Central St James, Marlene Malahoo Forte, Ed Marsh of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Johnathan Klion of NFE, and chairman of the Montego Bay Free Zone, Mark Hart.

The plan to build and operate a liquefied natural gas marine terminal and pipeline by American company New Fortress Energy (NFE) will place the facility five kilometres offshore within the Portland Bight area or close to the Goat Islands, according to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) released this month.

New Fortress will execute the marine terminal and pipeline project through affiliate NFE South Holdings Limited. A public consultation on the project is set for September 28 in Old Harbour.

The environmental report done by CL Environmental Consultants Limited on behalf of New Fortress also estimates that the project will provide nearly US$1 billion worth of value over its lifetime and create about 300 direct jobs in the process. Indirect jobs are estimated at 200 to 600.

“Based on this analysis, the final net present value of the project, after application of social cost benefit analysis, turns out to be US$953.4 million. Hence, the project should be undertaken as it has multiple social benefits which are reflected in the final positive NPV of the project,” the report stated.

In arriving at that final figure, the EIA considered the financial profitability measured at market prices; the net benefit of the project measured in terms of economic prices; then adjusted for the impact of the project on savings and investment, income distribution, the impact of the project on merit goods and demerit goods, and the environmental impact.

LNG plan

The project forms part of the wider plan to bring LNG to the national grid. The marine terminal will feed gas to the new 190MW plant that Jamaica Public Service Company is developing at Old Harbour. New Fortress is also supplying gas to JPS’ Bogue plant from a terminal developed in Montego Bay.

The marine terminal EIA report reasoned that consumers, but in particular the manufacturing sector, would benefit from the lower cost of electricity and the establishment of a more reliable power supply.

“This will lead to more possibility of manufacturing that will lead to creation of employment opportunities for unskilled and skilled workers. This is hard to quantify and hence the number are not adjusted for it. Which means that the social benefit stayed below is a lower bound,” the report stated.

The NFE project involves constructing a marine terminal comprising of a vessel berth and offshore offloading and regasification platform.

“The location will be up for approval by the Port Authority of Jamaica in the Portland Bight area of Jamaica,” said the environmental report.

It adds that the facility will accommodate a floating storage unit or FSU vessel for LNG storage and a LNG carrier delivering gas to the FSU. The platform would contain equipment to regasify LNG as well as related process and safety equipment.

“The liquid gas from the FSU would be carefully regasified and the gas would then be released into an undersea pipeline which will be mostly directionally drilled in basically a straight line from the platform to the vicinity of the JPS plant,” stated the EIA, which adds that the pipeline, at some five kilometres in length, would connect to the JPS gas power plant on shore.

“In addition, the project will construct a new, or refurbish an existing, automotive diesel oil line from storage tanks to the renovated power plant in order to enhance the reliability of the facility in case of LNG delivery interruptions.”

The marine terminal will be constructed offshore in the western side of Portland Bight, at a distance about 200 metres from the shipping channel to Port Esquivel in approximately 14 metre of water depth. “This location offers sufficient depth to berth the FSU and the LNG carrier vessels without the need for dredging, yet has sufficient protection from storm wave impacts as a result of the shape of the Bight,” stated the report.

Energy Policy

NFE is expected to supply JPS as well as potential future industrial users with natural gas. The main objective is to provide the Jamaica Public Service Company’s Old Harbour Plant with a cleaner and more cost-effective fuel in furtherance of the goals of the National Energy Policy.

NFE will conduct the project through its NFE South Holding and with the sponsorship of Fortress Investment Group, a global asset management firm with approximately US$70.64 billion of assets under management and an experienced investor in transportation, infrastructure and energy assets around the world, the environmental report said.

The annual fuel savings from the project is projected at US$74.2 million which represents a 38 per cent reduction in cost. The report adds that, assuming a 75 per cent pass-through to the consumer and a 25 per cent mixed of the generating capacity of the JPS, it will result in a seven per cent reduction is consumer prices. This figure matches the fuel savings published in a separate EIA report on the JPS Old Harbour plant upgrade released in April, as the projects are complementary.

JPS, which has a licence from the Jamaican Government to operate the national electricity grid, is constructing the 190MW plant adjacent to its existing Old Harbour facility in St Catherine, which has the capacity to generate 220MW of power. The current plant will be dismantled once the new one is commissioned.

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LNG ushers in price stability — JPS

August 19, 2016 Webmaster

As LNG partner New Fortress Energy begins shipment of liquefied natural gas to the island, power distributor Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) is indicating that savings will depend on pricing, which varies from month to month.

Chief Financial Officer of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) Dan Theoc told the Jamaica Observer: “The cost of LNG at Bogue is likely to be cheaper than the cost of oil next month (September) when Bogue is expected to come on line.”

But, based on current price differentials and the fact that Bogue will only represent approximately 12 to 15 per cent of the generation mix, it is expected that total savings — based on this price differential – will be marginal (less than five per cent), all other things remaining equal, Theoc told the Business Observer.

Spot prices for LNG on the Henry Hub (HH) index registered US$2.82 per million Btu in July after starting the year at US$2.28 in January and falling to US$1.73 in March.

Crude, on the West Texas Intermediate index, started the year at US$30.32 per barrel and crested at US$44.65 in July.

“Unfortunately, we cannot say definitively what the impact of natural gas will be in the future because of the volatility in oil prices relative to natural gas prices,” Theoc said.

JPS will be buying natural gas from Fortress under a 20-year exclusive gas supply agreement and they will be responsible for all of the supply chain logistics and infrastructure costs.

That includes the mode of delivery to the island, the frequency of delivery, the storage of the LNG, the regasification and the distribution by pipeline to the property.

Theoc noted, “We will pay for gas based on the Henry Hub Index plus an agreed margin (which we cannot disclose), similar to how we buy fuel today from Petrojam based on the US Gulf Average Mean Index plus an agreed margin.”

In general, he added, “It is worth noting that the HH index in the past five years has been far less volatile compared to Oil-based Indices (like US Gulf, WTI and Brent Crude), so we view the move to HH as being a plus for price stability.”

It is expected that Bogue will actually make up 12 to 15 per cent of the generation mix on natural gas and that when the 190MW plant in Old Harbour comes on line in 2018, approximately 40 per cent of our generation mix will be based on gas-fired power plants.

In general, it is expected that renewables penetration will increase from five per cent in 2015 to 12 per cent by 2018.

The consequence, Theoc said, will be an improvement in fuel diversity from a situation where 95 per cent of production was oil-fired last year to a situation where less than 50 per cent is fired by oil.

The CFO said the pending award of a gas project to Jamalco will also potentially increase the percentage of generation units which are fired by natural gas by about ten per cent to further replace oil-fired units by 2019.

Jamaica Observer

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LNG Shipper Under Financial Pressure

June 3, 2016 Webmaster

Golar LNG, the company which secured a two-year contract to ship liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Jamaica, posted huge net losses, has a working capital deficit and its chief executive officer resigned last month.

The shipping company continues to suffer from a slowdown of the LNG industry during a global oil price drop, symptomised by almost US$700 million of negative working capital.

The Jamaica contract is a bright spot for the company amid declining revenue.

“Partially mitigating the loss of this income was revenue earned by the Golar Arctic which commenced its two-year FSU service with New Fortress Energy, offshore Jamaica,” said Golar in financial results issued this week.

Golar also aims to refinance debt and launch new growth initiatives to adapt to the soft global LNG market.

New Fortress, an American company, is contracted by Jamaica Public Service Company to supply LNG to its Bogue plant. The pipeline and terminal have been developed but delivery of the gas, which should have started in April, has been pushed back to August.

On Wednesday, New Fortress promised responses on the implications of Golar’s finances for its contract, but had not followed through up to press time.

Golar reported net losses of US$80 million for its first quarter ending March. The loss was mainly due to its US$61.5 million in operating expenses towering over its US$18.6 million in revenues for the period.

Adjusted for exceptional items, losses would only have amounted to US$41.2 million.

Fundamentally, its revenue gap has defined the accounts since at least 2014. Consequently, Golar posted a US$197.6-million net loss for financial year 2015 and US$43 million in net losses for 2014.

Last month, CEO Gary Smith resigned and its former CEO, Oscar Spieler, retook control of the company. Golar cited restructuring as a necessary move to adapt to the new LNG reality, and the reason for the resignation.

Spieler, a naval architect, previously served as CEO of Golar between July 2009 and June 2011. He has a “successful track record of delivering complex offshore and shipping-related projects,” stated the financials. A release from the company indicated that both men previously traded the CEO position. Smith, who was promoted to CEO in January 2015, previously served as Golar CEO between March 2006 and July 2009.

Amid these changes, the company’s current assets

of US$530 million were overpowered by current liabilities of US$1.23 billion as at March 2016, resulting in negative working capital of US$670 million.

Burning through cash

Additionally, Golar has been burning though its cash holdings, which dropped from US$376 million to US$93 million in the space of one year.

The company still holds a strong US$1.8 billion in equity, but it fell from US$2.2 billion a year earlier.

Golar explained that the fast-growing LNG industry is going through a “rapid transformation” where monetisation of stranded gas, lowering the cost of LNG production and the opening of new markets are all critical success factors.

“An anticipated delinking of LNG prices from oil prices will also create additional demand for LNG. The traditional approach to executing LNG projects favoured by many oil majors may not cost effectively meet this new demand,” the company said.

Natural gas prices are reportedly at seven-year lows. The commodity is currently trading around US$2.40 per 1,000 cubic feet in the US.

At the same time, however, oil continues to trade below US$50 per barrel, which is still less than half the price crude was trading at two years ago.

The Gleaner

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OUR Won’t Allow Bogue Delay To Lead To Higher Light Bills

May 20, 2016 Webmaster

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it will ensure that power utility Jamaica Public Service Company does not increase bills to consumers based on the delay in the delivery of cheaper gas fuel.

The first delivery of liquefied natural gas – LNG – by JPS’ supplier was expected in April, but has been pushed back to August.

New Fortress Energy has developed a terminal in Montego Bay to feed gas to JPS’ Bogue plant, which has been converted to burn either LNG or automotive diesel oil.

“The OUR has moved to assure consumers that it will be vigilant in ensuring that the delay in the delivery of liquefied natural gas to the Bogue power plant will not result in an increase in the price of electricity,” said the regulator in a statement.

While welcoming the completion of the conversion of the 120-megawatt combined cycle plant, the OUR signalled disappointment with the “four-month delay” in the delivery of the overall project.

The gas supply agreement signed by JPS and New Fortress Energy on August 5, 2015, stipulated that gas delivery would commence April 2016, the OUR stated.

“Safeguards for customers were included in the agreement with New Fortress to ensure that any delay on its part would not result in negative cost implications for customers,” noted OUR Director General Albert Gordon. “The OUR has been monitoring the project closely and will continue to keep the public abreast of its progress.”

Project’s goal

The Bogue project’s goals, which are aligned to those in the National Energy Policy, were to reduce fuel cost, and lower the operations and maintenance expenditure of electricity generation. Gordon noted that the OUR’s involvement in the project began in 2008 and that the agency mandated that the plant be upgraded to burn gas in the 2014-2019 JPS tariff determination.

“To ensure this, the OUR also made provisions for the setting up of the Bogue Plant Reconfiguration Fund (BPRF), financed through the tariff, to facilitate the conversion cost,” the agency said.

The revenues for the BPRF – which totalled $15 million – were collected by the JPS through a line item in the monthly fuel rate calculation on customers’ bills, over a twelve-month period, between February 2015 and January 2016, the OUR said.

Requests to JPS for comment were unanswered up to press time.

The Gleaner

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Paulwell Says Fuel Tax Will Impact Consumers Negatively

May 13, 2016 Webmaster

Former Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell says consumers who have been benefiting from reduced electricity rates from the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) over the last 12 months could see a hike in the cost of energy with the Government’s imposition of new taxes on heavy fuel oil and liquefied natural gas.

The JPS recently concluded work to convert its Bogue Power Plant in Montego Bay, St James, to dual-fuel capability.

United States-based New Fortress Energy is expected to bring liquefied natural gas into the island by August, at which point the newly converted Bogue power plant will begin to use the more environmentally friendly fuel.

Paulwell’s concerns came as he spoke with journalists yesterday at the end of Shaw’s opening contribution to the Budget Debate.

“Currently, the JPS does not pay taxes on heavy fuel oil. Government has now imposed a tax both on liquefied natural gas, which will arrive in August of this year, and on heavy fuel oil, so it means a significant increase in the price of electricity that has been trending down by almost 50 per cent over the last year.”

At the same time, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller is taking the Government to task for “breaking its promise” by imposing new taxes to fund the tax-relief plan.

“All I can say is that they have broken their promise to the Jamaican people – no new tax – but, from all indication of what Minister Shaw said today (yesterday), it is the poor that will suffer,” she said.

Central Manchester MP Peter Bunting argued that the increased taxes would affect everyone, but have a more significant effect on those who earn under $600,000 per annum, and who will have to face increased transport and electricity costs.

He described the tax measures as regressive, noting that persons at the bottom of the society are being burdened to give relief to those earning at a higher level.

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Bogue Plant Conversion To Wrap Up Next Week

May 6, 2016 Webmaster

The JPS power station at Bogue, Montego Bay.

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) said it expects to complete the conversion and upgrade of the Bogue combined-cycle power plant in Montego Bay, St James, within a week.

The US$22-million ($2.5-billion) project kicked off in January and, when completed, it will be able to operate on either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or its current fuel source, automotive diesel oil.

JPS said it will be buying natural gas under a long-term supply agreement from Fortress New Energy and expect to start receiving the product within the next four to six months.

JPS indicated that Bogue would be ready by the end of the second week in May in an email to the Financial Gleaner.

The company said New Fortress “is responsible for all activities associated with delivering the LNG to the port in Montego Bay, storing the LNG in tanks, regasifying the LNG and delivering it by pipeline to our power plant at Bogue”.

The project to convert the Bogue power plant, which is being undertaken by General Electric, kicked off on January 11 this year.

The work involves removal of a gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator from service, which was expected to clear the way for General Electric to start installing equipment.

JPS said the project would add significantly to the country’s energy diversity, fuel security, flexible generation and production of clean energy.

New Fortress Energy began developing its terminal and pipeline at the Montego Freeport at the end of last year, but JPS has no stake in that project.

mcpherse.thompson@gleanerjm.com

The Gleaner

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General Electric To Retrofit Bogue Power Plant

June 26, 2015 Webmaster

Dr Vincent Lawrence, head of the Electricity Sector Enterprise Team (ESET), says the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) will conclude an agreement with General Electric for the retrofitting of its Bogue power plant in Montego Bay to be fired by liquefied natural gas.

Lawrence said the expected supply cost for LNG to the plant is US$14 per million BTUs, which is about half the US$27 unit cost to supply the plant with diesel, he added.

“We are very excited,” said Lawrence on Tuesday at his third press conference as chairman of ESET – a special body created to execute projects aimed at reforming Jamaica’s electricity market. “We are satisfied that the project is on target for the first quarter of 2016.”

His announcement puts to rest speculation that JPS was still considering a flirtation with propane as an interim fuel before moving to LNG.

The contract being finalised with General Electric is the second major announcement for the 115MW Bogue project, following last week’s disclosure in a market filing by JPS that it had hired Fortress Energy, another American company, to supply gas for the plant.

Last night, JPS said that General Electric would retrofit the plant for LNG, while Fortress would develop the regasification and storage facility. Fortress will also supply the gas.

JPS says the deal with General Electric is valued at US$15 million. However, the power utility was mum on the Fortress transaction, nor would it disclose the price at which Bogue would supply power to the grid under the partnership.

Previously, the company had floated US$80 million as an indicative cost for the full project, but that was before it found partners for the jobs.

Lawrence also announced Tuesday that JPS has got 12 expressions of interest through its request for proposals in June for development of a 190MW plant in Old Harbour, St Catherine, each of which has been issued with material to prepare for bidding on the contract.

Proposals have come in from Jamaica’s state-owned refinery, Petrojam, Royal Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, Clean Core and Fortress Energy. Clean Core was runner-up to Fortress Energy on the Bogue bids.

The plans for Old Harbour have grown more ambitious since the project was first mooted. Now ESET sees itself as the fulcrum for the development of a regional gas hub for the Caribbean that was first discussed in Jamaica during talks with US Energy Secretary Dr Ernest Moniz during President Barack Obama’s official visit in early April.

“Jamaica is trying to become the hub for gas distribution in the region. It is one of the things we are very interested in,” said Lawrence.

“In the request for proposals, we have requested that they provide a perspective on how Jamaica could serve the region. That is one of the things we will be assessing,” he said.

Discussions about such a hub flowed from a study done by Inter-American Development Bank on the regional demand for natural gas and the economics around consistent supply.

Bogue is being converted from automotive diesel oil to LNG. Lawrence said JPS had also looked at propane and ethane as fuel options, but finally decided to convert to LNG immediately.

“They have had meetings with General Electric and GE is on track to carry out conversion. The contract is to be signed early July,” said Lawrence.

The plant conversion will take 26 weeks, or just about six months, from the award of contract.

JPS confirmed the timeline of the first quarter of 2016 for the conversion to be completed.

Lawrence said Fortress will ship gas to the plant weekly from its Miami, Florida, facility to the port in Montego Bay.

For the pipeline to be built by Fortress from the port to the Bogue plant, the preliminary design, engineering, agreements with the Port Authority of Jamaica and authorisation from NEPA are being pursued, the ESET chairman said.

avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20150624/general-electric-retrofit-bogue-power-plant