Inaugural Natural Gas Conference Oct. 4-6

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) and the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica (PCJ) will be hosting Jamaica’s inaugural Natural Gas Conference from October 4 to 6.

The conference, themed ‘New Horizons: The Development of a Natural Gas Sector in Jamaica – Prospects and Challenges’, will be held at The Jamaica Pegasus in Kingston.

Deputy Director General at the OUR, Hopeton Heron, speaking at a JIS ‘Think Tank’ on September 27, explained that this conference will be of interest to the transportation, legal, financial and taxation sectors, among others.

“For people in manufacturing, heavy energy users, they can learn how to boost manufacturing and production with a more efficient and affordable power supply,” he said.

Participants will hear from business leaders about investment and other opportunities in the natural gas sector.

“You can get first-hand information on how to bring value to your business,” Manager, Corporate Affairs and Communications at PCJ, Camille Taylor, said.

She further explained that the conference will also present opportunities for banks, investment firms, insurers and other financial service providers.

Additionally, it will allow participants to be a part of the discussion that contributes to the development of the policy and regulatory framework for Jamaica’s natural gas sector, and also to take advantage of networking opportunities.

Keynote speaker at the conference will be the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley.

Other presenters are Chairman of the OUR, Joseph Matalon; Chairman of the PCJ, Russell Hadeed; Group General Manager at the PCJ, Winston Watson; CEO of New Fortress Energy, Wesley Edens; and President of Sagicor Jamaica, Christopher Zacca.

Some of the topics to be covered are Introduction and Future Direction of Natural Gas in the Local Energy Mix, the Perspective of Primary Users of Natural Gas for Electricity Generation, Developing an Effective Regulatory Framework for Jamaica’s Natural Gas Sector, and Regulations and Standards for Natural Gas Infrastructure and Metering.

New opportunities for business and investment in Jamaica from natural gas, reducing Jamaica’s carbon footprint and preserving the environment, natural gas as transportation fuel, and legal and taxation considerations will also be discussed.

Additionally, there will be an update on the current exploration activities being undertaken for natural gas in Jamaica.

The conference will culminate with a field trip to two of Jamaica’s newest and most modern energy facilities – the Jamaica Public Service Company’s 120MW Bogue Power Station and the New

Fortress Energy storage and regasification site – both of which are located in Montego Bay.

For registration and payment details on the conference, persons may visit www.pcj.com, www.our.org.jm or www.jamaicagasconference.com.