Headpond
Existing Intake
Existing Weir
Weir Extension
New Intake
Jamaica Adds 7. 2 MW in First Hydropower
Expansion in 30 Years
Te 7.2-MW expansion of the 6-MW Maggotty Falls hydropower
project began in 2012 and was completed in 2014. It was the frst new
hydro facility implemented in Jamaica in the past 30 years.
By Alston Watson and S. Mark Allen
According to the Jamaican Ministry of Science Technology Energy & Mining, “Jamaica’s energy system is
highly dependent on imported fossil fuels;
petroleum imports account for over
90% of electricity production. Tis
oil import dependency comes at a
high cost. Oil import costs peaked
with the global oil price spike in
2008, reaching US$2.7 billion.
Import costs remain high and can be
expected to increase further as oil prices rise
in the future. Electricity prices for Jamaica’s
people have also shot up dramatically in
recent years, reaching a high of US$0.42
per k Wh. Consequently, Jamaica is chart-
ing a new path to energy security based on
domestic renewable energy sources
in order to build an energy system
that is socially, economically and
environmentally sustainable.”
Jamaica Public Service Company
Ltd. (JPS) is a privatized electrical
utility majority owned by subsidiar-
ies of Marubeni Corp. of Japan and Korea
East-West Power Co. In 2008, JPS requested
MWH (now part of Stantec) to evaluate sev-
eral potential sites to augment the utility’s
existing hydropower 24.72-MW capacity from
eight JPS facilities in an efort to reduce the
dependency on expensive imported fuels.
MWH completed its feasibility study in
June 2008 and concluded it would be viable to
double the capacity of the nearly 50-year-old
6-MW Maggoty Falls facility (see Figure
1) on the Black River in the parish of St.
Elizabeth, in western Jamaica. Tis facility
was chosen above the other options under
evaluation based on least cost consideration.
Expansion would involve replacing the
woodstave and steel portions of the existing
penstock, which were leaking and prone to
failure, using a larger-diameter penstock and
the addition of two turbine-generator units
located in a new powerhouse constructed
alongside the existing powerhouse. JPS maintained the existing powerhouse over the years,
which included the upgrade of the electrical
and control system. Te existing powerhouse
operated with a high level of reliability over
the years and will remain as part of the hydro
feet for years to come.
Te following provides a brief history of
the project, some of the challenges encountered in executing the work and how these
challenges were met to achieve a successful
project outcome.
Maggotty Falls
Te existing Maggotty Falls hydro facility
included a diversion weir with an intake
located on the left bank. Te project expansion
Kier Construction Ltd., project EPC contractor, largely adopted this conceptual plan for the
Maggotty Fall expansion.
Figure 1 — Maggotty Falls Expansion Project
PLANT UPGRADE