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The House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 9) approved amendments to the Trade Act, increasing the fines for persons who continue to break the scrap metal regulations. Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Hon. Karl Samuda, who piloted the Bill, noted that it was necessary to increase the fines in light of the persistent non compliance to the regulations in...

Minister of Energy and Mining, Hon. James Robertson, will depart the island Wednesday (June 10) for a Meeting of Energy Ministers from the PetroCaribe member states in St. Kitts. The meeting takes place Thursday (June 11), and the Ministers are expected to discuss matters of common interest and, in particular, areas of co-operation. The Ministerial meeting will serve as a...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Hon. Laurence Broderick, has said that the Government is committed to ensuring that the country has a consistent, efficient and affordable supply of energy, to boost productivity. The State Minister was speaking recently, at a function hosted by the Clarendon-based bauxite-producing company, Jamalco, to honour local contractors who contributed to...

Work has commenced on the assembly and installation of the first shipment of flexible pipelines, which the state refinery, Petrojam, has procured to facilitate the off-loading and on-loading of petroleum products between their plant and the docking facility in Kingston. Petrojam moved to procure the pipes after the refinery's loading dock sustained damage during an accident involving the oil tanker,...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mining Marcia Forbes, has said that she fully expects the National Energy Policy to be completed by the end of June, 2009. The Permanent Secretary made the statement at last week's opening of the Green Expo 2009 at the National Arena in Kingston. "We are working assiduously on the National Energy Policy...

Minister of Energy and Mining Hon. James Robertson has disclosed that underwater welding equipment to effect repairs on the damaged Petrojam dock arrived in the island last night (Friday June 5) and is currently in use at the Refinery. The Minister also revealed that the completion of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) line to the former "Esso Kingston Terminal" has...

Minister of Energy and Mining, Hon. James Robertson, has disclosed that underwater welding equipment to effect repairs to the damaged Petrojam dock in Kingston arrived in the island on Friday (June 5), and is now in use at the Refinery. The Minister also revealed that the completion of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) line to the former Esso Kingston Terminal...

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Marcia Forbes, has said that the Government remains steadfast in striking and maintaining a delicate balance between the pursuit of energy resources and the preservation of the country's environment. "I am extremely confident that Jamaica will achieve this endeavour, not just because of the Government's commitment to energy conservation and the...

The Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) is exploring the possibility of utilising the seeds of the jatropha plant to produce bio-diesel for the local automotive industry. Group Managing Director of the PCJ, Dr. Ruth Potopsingh, speaking at a recent Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals (JIEP)-organised public lecture and panel discussion at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, said that the...

Minister of Energy and Mining Hon. James Robertson this morning (June 4) toured the Port Esquivel facility in Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine, to explore the possibility of using its docking and storage facilities as an alternative to the damaged Petrojam dock which is temporarily out of service. "We met with the port operators at Port Esquivel early this morning...

Minister of Energy and Mining, Hon. James Robertson, has assured the country that the supply of petroleum products will not be affected by Monday's accident at the Petrojam Refinery. "There is no shortage of fuel; there is no crisis," Mr. Robertson told journalists attending a media briefing at Petrojam's Marcus Garvey Drive plant, Kingston, on Wednesday (June 3). The Minister...

At approximately 2315 hrs on Monday, June 1, 2009 the ship M/T Great News was transporting crude oil to the Petrojam Refinery when it collided into the company's dock. Petrojam immediately notified the Coast Guard, Marine Police, Port Authority and ODPEM. Preliminary assessment indicated that the dock was badly damaged and is temporarily out of service. A small oil sheen...