Marubeni executives hosted five electrical engineering students of The University of the West Indies, whom the company has awarded scholarships totalling US$20,000 at the South Jamaica Power Centre (SJPC) in St Catherine on Thursday, December 7.

The five students, Rochelle Stephens, Daniel McGregor, Brianna Smith, Martin McDonald and Dwight Simpson, were greeted at the SJPC plant by Mohamed Majeed, managing director of Caribbean operations for Marubeni; Damian Obigio, Marubeni Caribbean vice-president and chairman of JPS; along with Marubeni executives Keisuke Harada and Takuya Kokawa.

Leisa Batiste-Whyte, SJPC general manager, gave a preliminary overview of the 194MW facility, the largest of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean, supported by plant manager Noel Watson, who provided technical details and also led the tour of the facilities that followed. Watson pointed out several features and installations on the site, as well as the surrounding area, including the floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel unit anchored some three kilometres offshore, instituted through a precedent-setting arrangement with LNG supplier New Fortress Energy.  

On completion of the tour, the students engaged the Marubeni and SJPC teams in a spirited dialogue covering the scale of the plant, the relative feasibility of greenfield renewable energy generation facilities vs conventional fuel-powered generation, including several other topics. 

Speaking on behalf of the students, Dwight Simpson said the visit gave them a better understanding of the workings of electrical power generation. “It was good to witness a power plant in operation at that scale, to see the features and the organisation that went into the facility and to have the technical aspects explained to us,” he said.  

Majeed said it was a pleasure to host the group and to provide the kind of perspective that only first-hand witness of the facility could provide.

He added, “We believe it’s important for the recipients to have this background as they look to become problem-solvers and contributors to development, both as Jamaicans and even further afield as future professionals.”

He also impressed upon the group the importance of having a solid understanding of the business implications in undertaking investments of the scale of the SJPC plant and focusing on the practical realisations of delivering power to Jamaicans in a cost-effective manner.

In addition to its US$350-million investment in the SJPC plant, Marubeni Power International is the majority shareholder of JPS. The company has also invested significantly in upgrading the grid. Marubeni has, since commencing operations in Jamaica, invested in social and community development, with a particular focus on interventions in the education sector.