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ECO-FRIENDLY TRI-GENERATION PLANT TO POWER THE PALMYRA - JAMAICA TOURIST ISSUE 13
BY DENNIS ERROL MORRISON
Dennis Morrison is a well known Caribbean economist and analyst who formerly occupied the post of Chief Technical Director in the Cabinet Office’s Development Division and served as Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Airport Authority of Jamaica. Central to the creation of Jamaica’s Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, Morrison spearheaded the drive that secured record foreign investment in the sector and under his leadership, the Airport Authority of Jamaica undertook major expansion and modernisation programmes at both Norman Manley (Kingston) and Sangster International Airports (Montego Bay).
As part of its 300-unit condominium and hotel development, The Palmyra Resort & Spa in Montego Bay is constructing an eco-friendly, high efficiency tri-generation (Tri-Gen) plant to produce its own electricity, steam and air conditioning. The US$20 million power plant, which will commence operation on November 1st 2009, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will produce 95% less greenhouse emissions than other generating plants on the island. Importantly, it will be hurricane-resistant, with on-site fuel supplies to last for over 20 days in the event of an emergency.
Located on 16 acres of pristine white sand beachfront in Montego Bay’s elite enclave of Rose Hall, The Palmyra is being developed in accordance with standards that will ensure environmental sustainability, a prime goal of Jamaica’s Tourism Master Plan. The Master Plan, which serves as the roadmap for the development of the sector, recognises the environment as the essence of Jamaica’s tourism product and, hence, attaches the highest priority to its preservation. With its increased efficiency and extremely low greenhouse emission levels, The Palmyra’s tri-generation system will therefore contribute to the achievement of this long-term goal and the enhancement of the local tourism product.
Unlike a normal power system, The Palmyra’s Tri-Gen plant will simultaneously produce mechanical energy which will be converted into electricity, heat and cooling with Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) as the initial fuel source. According to William Clark, president of Distributed Generation Marketing Services Jamaica Ltd. (DGMS), this fuel source will provide cost savings, as a greater percentage of the energy is utilised compared with other fuels. Additionally, it is nearly completely green. Stated Clark, on a recent tour of the plant with Janet Silvera, Editor of local tourism trade publication Hospitality Jamaica, “Liquid Propane Gas is nearly completely green, it has almost no greenhouse gas emissions. However, we are considering plans to make the plant 100 percent green in the future, by switching to the use of bio-gas, which is produced from sewage.”
In addition to the positive environmental impact that may arise from the use of biological waste, there are foreign exchange savings to be derived from avoiding the importation of Liquid Propane Gas at a time Jamaica’s export earnings are falling due to the global economic downturn. Clark also explained that the generating systems installed in this trailblazing power plant, allow for the recycling of waste energy which will further contribute to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Once up and running, the plant will have an electrical generating capacity of 3.2 megawatts, steam capacity of 15.000 PPH (pounds per hour), and 1.725 tons of refrigeration. The electricity supply will be in excess of what is required to support more than 250 U.S. homes and enough air conditioning to cool 425 homes. With two turbine-driven co-generation systems and two reciprocating engine-driven generating systems, the power plant will provide full backup for the electrical load at The Palmyra giving the resort the capability of operating with or without the public electricity supply system.
In keeping with their commitment to ensure conformity with local building, environmental and safety standards, the developers of The Palmyra power plant will complete a full environmental impact assessment and receive and comply with all duly approved licences from the relevant national and local regulatory agencies before the plant is put into operation. Programmes to monitor and control effluent and emissions, hazardous material and fuel storage, as well as institute internal safety, fire protection and noise abatement measures will also be implemented.
Opened in December 2009, The Palmyra is the third new resort to be developed in Jamaica’s tourism capital, since the mid-2000s. The expansion in Montego Bay’s room capacity is well timed to complement the modern Convention Centre presently under construction in the Rose Hall enclave and the recently completed redevelopment and expansion of MBJ Sangster International Airport, the new North Coast Highway other infrastructure development that has taken place. Together, these investments have raised Montego Bay’s standing as a leading Caribbean resort destination.
A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, developer Robert T. Trotta is predicting that The Palmyra along with his next project, Celebration Jamaica “… will prove to be the ‘tipping point’ for unprecedented growth in both tourism and property values in Jamaica”. According to Trotta, the next decade will come to be known in Jamaican history as the moment in time Jamaica established itself as “the Tourist and Financial Capital of the Caribbean”.
Dennis Morrison is a well known Caribbean economist and analyst who formerly occupied the post of Chief Technical Director in the Cabinet Office’s Development Division and served as Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Airport Authority of Jamaica. Central to the creation of Jamaica’s Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, Morrison spearheaded the drive that secured record foreign investment in the sector and under his leadership, the Airport Authority of Jamaica undertook major expansion and modernisation programmes at both Norman Manley (Kingston) and Sangster International Airports (Montego Bay).
As part of its 300-unit condominium and hotel development, The Palmyra Resort & Spa in Montego Bay is constructing an eco-friendly, high efficiency tri-generation (Tri-Gen) plant to produce its own electricity, steam and air conditioning. The US$20 million power plant, which will commence operation on November 1st 2009, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will produce 95% less greenhouse emissions than other generating plants on the island. Importantly, it will be hurricane-resistant, with on-site fuel supplies to last for over 20 days in the event of an emergency.
Located on 16 acres of pristine white sand beachfront in Montego Bay’s elite enclave of Rose Hall, The Palmyra is being developed in accordance with standards that will ensure environmental sustainability, a prime goal of Jamaica’s Tourism Master Plan. The Master Plan, which serves as the roadmap for the development of the sector, recognises the environment as the essence of Jamaica’s tourism product and, hence, attaches the highest priority to its preservation. With its increased efficiency and extremely low greenhouse emission levels, The Palmyra’s tri-generation system will therefore contribute to the achievement of this long-term goal and the enhancement of the local tourism product.
Unlike a normal power system, The Palmyra’s Tri-Gen plant will simultaneously produce mechanical energy which will be converted into electricity, heat and cooling with Liquid Propane Gas (LPG) as the initial fuel source. According to William Clark, president of Distributed Generation Marketing Services Jamaica Ltd. (DGMS), this fuel source will provide cost savings, as a greater percentage of the energy is utilised compared with other fuels. Additionally, it is nearly completely green. Stated Clark, on a recent tour of the plant with Janet Silvera, Editor of local tourism trade publication Hospitality Jamaica, “Liquid Propane Gas is nearly completely green, it has almost no greenhouse gas emissions. However, we are considering plans to make the plant 100 percent green in the future, by switching to the use of bio-gas, which is produced from sewage.”
In addition to the positive environmental impact that may arise from the use of biological waste, there are foreign exchange savings to be derived from avoiding the importation of Liquid Propane Gas at a time Jamaica’s export earnings are falling due to the global economic downturn. Clark also explained that the generating systems installed in this trailblazing power plant, allow for the recycling of waste energy which will further contribute to its efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Once up and running, the plant will have an electrical generating capacity of 3.2 megawatts, steam capacity of 15.000 PPH (pounds per hour), and 1.725 tons of refrigeration. The electricity supply will be in excess of what is required to support more than 250 U.S. homes and enough air conditioning to cool 425 homes. With two turbine-driven co-generation systems and two reciprocating engine-driven generating systems, the power plant will provide full backup for the electrical load at The Palmyra giving the resort the capability of operating with or without the public electricity supply system.
In keeping with their commitment to ensure conformity with local building, environmental and safety standards, the developers of The Palmyra power plant will complete a full environmental impact assessment and receive and comply with all duly approved licences from the relevant national and local regulatory agencies before the plant is put into operation. Programmes to monitor and control effluent and emissions, hazardous material and fuel storage, as well as institute internal safety, fire protection and noise abatement measures will also be implemented.
Opened in December 2009, The Palmyra is the third new resort to be developed in Jamaica’s tourism capital, since the mid-2000s. The expansion in Montego Bay’s room capacity is well timed to complement the modern Convention Centre presently under construction in the Rose Hall enclave and the recently completed redevelopment and expansion of MBJ Sangster International Airport, the new North Coast Highway other infrastructure development that has taken place. Together, these investments have raised Montego Bay’s standing as a leading Caribbean resort destination.
A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, developer Robert T. Trotta is predicting that The Palmyra along with his next project, Celebration Jamaica “… will prove to be the ‘tipping point’ for unprecedented growth in both tourism and property values in Jamaica”. According to Trotta, the next decade will come to be known in Jamaican history as the moment in time Jamaica established itself as “the Tourist and Financial Capital of the Caribbean”.
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