Pumped storage hydropower on Jamaica radar

Jamaica is studying the implementation of a pumped storage hydroelectric and water system project to guarantee supply amid projected shortfalls.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement during a speech to lawmakers as part of the 2020-21 budget debate.

“Although most of the available water resources are located within the hydrologic basins on the north side of the island, the current and future demands for water is greatest in the basins along the south coast of the island, where most of the irrigated areas, urban centers and major industries are located,” he said.

Holness highlighted that during extended dry periods, the Kingston basin experiences water shortages.

The project envisions pulling water from the Middlesex aquifer in St Ann parish and pumping the water to reservoirs at higher elevations. The water would then be gravity fed to the south coast through power turbines which would generate up to 200MWh.

The prime minister added that the system would help Jamaica achieve its revised target of having renewables account for 50% of the generation park by 2030.

For the International Hydropower Association (IHA), “pumped storage should not be seen merely as a back-up generator or a provider of ancillary grid services, but as a resource that provides benefits across a whole spectrum of roles within local and regional water and energy systems.”

Of the 1,292GW of global installed hydro capacity at end-2018, 160MW was pumped storage, according to IHA’s latest status report, which highlights that in Latin America and the Caribbean, this technology is in place in Argentina and Brazil.

The industry adds that although it sees growing interest in such systems, regulatory and policy frameworks have resisted change.

A GE Renewable Energy white paper on sustainable business models for hydro storage, available here, shows that hydro storage has among the lowest production and storage costs in terms of cost/kW.

Also Read Batteries, pumped hydro and gas storage could gain ground in Brazil

Pictured: Pumped storage plant system (Credit: GE Renewable Energy)