Petrojam Limited has been given the go-ahead to enter into a cogeneration partnership with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS).

The project will involve the construction of a 120-megawatt cogeneration facility at the JPS' Hunts Bay plant, which will be run on petroleum coke (petcoke) produced by Petrojam. A by-product of petroleum crude, petcoke costs less than a quarter of the price paid for fuels such as coal, which is used in current generating technology.

Minister of Energy, Mining and Telecommu-nications, Clive Mullings, who was on a tour of Petrojam's Marcus Garvey refinery recently, said that the Ministry has signed off on the deal, which is part of a larger upgrading and expansion project at the refinery.

Mr. Mullings said that the government welcomes the cogeneration partnership between JPS and Petrojam, which would generate cheaper electricity rates, as well as expand the production of asphalt, which Petrojam already supplies.