Petrojam, JPS Combine to Address Air Quality at Marcus Garvey Drive

Three air monitoring stations are to be installed and commissioned into service by mid-August, through the collaboration of Petrojam Limited and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Company Limited.
The stations will measure air quality in the vicinity of the refinery and the JPS Hunts Bay Power Plant, Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston, to ensure compliance with the ambient air quality standards defined by the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA).
Ambient air monitoring measures the levels of air pollution in a particular area, for the purpose of informing appropriate action for the protection of the environment.
This initiative stems from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), undertaken as part of Petrojam’s Refinery Upgrade Project. Model tests were conducted and, based on the areas where the highest concentrations of emissions were predicted, recommendations were made for the placement of the stations.
The stations will be located immediately outside Petrojam’s south western property boundary; at the Garmex Freezone Complex, at the property fence line, close to the JPS north Marcus Garvey Drive Plant; and in Newport West, in the vicinity of Third and Fourth Streets.
All three stations will monitor Sulphur Dioxide (SO 2), Nitrogen Oxides (NO x) and Particulate Matter (PM 10). In addition, the station outside Petrojam’s south western boundary will also monitor Total Reduced Sulphur (TRS).
Petrojam’s Refinery Upgrade Project is expected to expand the capacity of the refinery from 35,000 to 50,000 barrels per day, and will entail upgrading some existing processing units and adding new processing and waste treatment units.
The upgrade, scheduled for completion by 2014, will also allow for the production of higher value refined petroleum products, and better treatment of effluent from the refinery.