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.