JPS and BMR to sign power purchase agreement

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is to sign an agreement with renewable energy firm, Blue Mountain Renewables (BMR) to purchase the energy it produces.

BMR was recently awarded the right to build a 34 megawatt wind farm near Malvern in St. Elizabeth, having responded to an invitation from the Office of Utilities Regulation in October 2012 for proposals for renewable energy projects.

The JPS has partnered with BMR by providing background wind data based on its existing operations at the Munro Wind Farm, situated in the vicinity of the proposed new facility.

The project

According to information provided on BMR’s website, the project will include 18 wind turbines. The entire installation will require about 75 acres of land to be leased from the National Land Agency.

It says the overall area where the equipment will be installed totals more than 600 acres of land, much of which is currently used for farming and cattle grazing. Those activities can continue at the site, alongside the wind farm, the company is projecting, “since only a small parcel of land around each wind turbine will be reserved for the project.”

About BMR

Blue Mountain Renewables says the company was established to develop renewable power generation projects throughout the Caribbean and Central American region.

It says BMR shareholders “include veterans of the electric power industry with over sixty years of collective experience and American Capital Ltd. one of the largest investment management firms in North America.”

The company says its shareholders have teamed up to develop and invest in energy related infrastructure projects throughout the region.

View the original article here

JPS and BMR to sign power purchase agreement

JPS and BMR to sign power purchase agreement

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) is to sign an agreement with renewable energy firm, Blue Mountain Renewables (BMR) to purchase the energy it produces.

BMR was recently awarded the right to build a 34 megawatt wind farm near Malvern in St. Elizabeth, having responded to an invitation from the Office of Utilities Regulation in October 2012 for proposals for renewable energy projects.

The JPS has partnered with BMR by providing background wind data based on its existing operations at the Munro Wind Farm, situated in the vicinity of the proposed new facility.

The project

According to information provided on BMR’s website, the project will include 18 wind turbines. The entire installation will require about 75 acres of land to be leased from the National Land Agency.

It says the overall area where the equipment will be installed totals more than 600 acres of land, much of which is currently used for farming and cattle grazing. Those activities can continue at the site, alongside the wind farm, the company is projecting, “since only a small parcel of land around each wind turbine will be reserved for the project.”

About BMR

Blue Mountain Renewables says the company was established to develop renewable power generation projects throughout the Caribbean and Central American region.

It says BMR shareholders “include veterans of the electric power industry with over sixty years of collective experience and American Capital Ltd. one of the largest investment management firms in North America.”

The company says its shareholders have teamed up to develop and invest in energy related infrastructure projects throughout the region.

View the original article here

JPS and BMR to sign power purchase agreement

Heatwave hits power in Buenos Aires

30 December 2013 Last updated at 06:33 ET An intense and prolonged heatwave has hit Buenos Aires Public sector workers in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires have been told not to come to work on Monday in an effort to save electricity.

The city has been experiencing power shortages as air conditioning use has soared as residents try to keep cool during a severe heatwave.

Some neighbourhoods have been without power for two weeks, with temperatures rising well over 35 degrees Celsius.

Argentina’s ageing power grid has been struggling to keep up with demand.

Public sector workers in the city were asked to stay at home all day Monday, while those in Buenos Aires province were told to leave work at noon.

Some neighbourhoods have been without power for 14 days Buenos Aires residents are furious about the power cuts

On Sunday night, electricity demand reached a record high for a non-working day, as residents turned on fans and air conditioning units in an attempt to cool down homes.

City officials held emergency meetings with federal officials on Sunday in an effort to co-ordinate assistance to those left without power for days.

An estimated 11.000 people still had no electricity over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands had suffered power cuts over the preceding weeks.

In some Buenos Aires neighbourhoods residents took to the streets in protest, banging pots and pans to demand that city officials do more to restore power supply to their areas.

The heatwave is reported to be the worst to hit the city in 40 years.

View the original article here

Heatwave hits power in Buenos Aires

Wisynco brands to power up schoolboy football this season

Sport

Sunday, September 01, 2013

The island’s biggest football competition, the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) urban area Manning and rural area daCosta Cup, has a new partner on-board.Leading Jamaican manufacturer and distributor Wisynco, through their brands Bigga, Wata, Powerade and Domino’s will sponsor this year’s schoolboy football competition that includes the Under-19, Under-16 and Under-14 competitions.The Under-19 Manning and daCosta Cup sponsorship will be led by Bigga, with associate brands Wata and Powerade, while the Under-16 and Under-14 urban and rural competitions sponsorship will be led by Wata with associate brands Bigga, Powerade and Domino’s on board.Wisynco and ISSA have forged a three-year relationship with a sponsorship package valued at $45 million. The sponsorship is set to benefit the over 42 senior schools that play in the Manning Cup, as well as the 83 institutions that will be vying for the rural area daCosta Cup.Wisynco’s managing director William Mahfood re-emphasised the company’s mantra of improving the lives of the Jamaican people, as well as its commitment to the development of sports and youth in Jamaica. The Wisynco Group direct investment in football has exceeded over $35 million in the last four years, which was the largest investment that the company had undertaken for any single sport.“We are proud to partner with ISSA for the schoolboy football championship, and congratulate the organisation for their success of almost a century, in the development and support of senior and junior schoolboy football across the island. With the sponsorship of schoolboy football we re-affirm our commitment to sports and football in particular,” Mahfood said.This instalment of Jamaica’s Under-19 football competition, the Manning Cup, is expected to be another stellar year with the several new sponsorships as defending triple champions St George’s College will go in search of a hat-trick of titles, having won the Manning Cup in 2011 and 2012. They will be hard-pressed by many-time champions Jamaica College, who last lifted the trophy in 2010.Also looking forward to lifting the trophy is last year’s beaten finalist Hydel, who are expected to retain the services of the much-travelled coach Geoffrey Maxwell.DaCosta Cup champions Glenmuir will also have their work cut out as they aim for back-to-back titles under stalwart coach Patrick ‘Jackie’ Walters. They will face stern competition for the title from 2011-2012 champions Rusea’s, as well as St Elizabeth Technical.The Wisynco Group involvement in football has borne fruit with the likes of former national player Fabian Davis rising to the fore, having endorsed the Bigga brand back in 2002. Wisynco has also been involved with the Jamaica Premier League Clubs Association.Dr Walton Small (left), president of ISSA, greets Francois Chalifour, director of development and marketing at Wisynco, while (from left) Carlo Redwood, LIME’s vice-president for marketing, Captain Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaica Football Federation, and Burger King’s sales and marketing manager Sabrena McDonald look on during last Thursday’s launch of the 2013 ISSA Schoolboy Football Competition at the Terra Nova Hotel. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

HOUSE RULES

1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper – email addresses will not be published.

2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.

3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.

4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.

5. Please don’t use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed:mailto:advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.

6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.

7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

comments powered by

View the original article here

Wisynco brands to power up schoolboy football this season

Maduro vs corruption: In earnest or power grab?

There is little question Venezuela is a nation in desperate need of an anti-corruption crusade.

Machine-gun toting police in the chaotic capital are widely perceived to be in cahoots with criminals, black marketeers get rich circumventing widely flouted currency controls, and many politicians who rose to power under the late President Hugo Chavez flaunt lifestyles that appear far too luxurious for their government salaries.But a month-long campaign by President Nicolas Maduro that began with the arrests of dozens of officials and cronies suspected of pilfering millions from state coffers has devolved into what critics say is a witch-hunt against the already beleaguered political opposition, and what many see as a power grab by an increasingly embattled government.“The executive has enough powers,” said Mercedes de Freitas, the head of the civil society group Transparency Venezuela. “We have to dilute its power in order to fight corruption, not give it more power.”In the past two weeks, government corruption probes have increasingly targeted the inner circle of Miranda state Gov Henrique Capriles, the man who lost a narrow, disputed election in April to Maduro, Chavez’s hand-picked successor.Maduro last week said he intended to declare “a constitutional emergency” to wage war on graft and ask the National Assembly to grant him special powers to rule by decree, a manoeuvre Chavez had employed to steamroll radical reforms. It was unclear when that could happen.In one of the government’s most striking cases targeting members of the opposition, the president personally denounced unspecified corruption that somehow involved a gay and transvestite prostitution ring that has been linked to Oscar Lopez, Capriles’s chief of staff. A Maduro ally released a photo of Lopez in women’s clothing with other men. Lopez has been in hiding since military intelligence raided his apartment on Aug 7 following a government order for his arrest.Pro-Maduro legislators also stripped the immunity of opposition deputy Richard Mardo, another Capriles loyalist, saying he can now be prosecuted for alleged tax evasion and hiding some income sources. The opposition calls the allegations fabricated and politically motivated.Maduro hasn’t said why he launched the anti-corruption campaign, but has warned that traditional political parties behind Capriles are using graft “to eat away at the country in order to regain power”.Capriles calls the crackdown a “smoke screen” to distract from economic woes, crumbling infrastructure, rampant crime and political repression ahead of Dec 8 regional elections.An Information Ministry spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, but Maduro has denied allegations of a witch-hunt against Capriles allies, and Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz has said there are many pro-government figures among the 64 people detained in recent weeks.Those arrested include Luis Gallardo, the former pro-government governor of Guarico state; Carlos Sanchez, the administrator of the tax office in the coastal state of Vargas; Tryno Martinez, national inspections director for the country’s consumer protection agency and Radwan Sabbagh, former president of the state-run iron-ore mining company Ferrominera del Orinoco. In July, four public employees were among eight people arrested for allegedly embezzling more than $84 million from a joint fund shared by Venezuela and China.But no major government figure has faced charges, and the attention of prosecutors seems to have shifted to the Capriles camp.Human rights groups warn the pursuit of charges against opposition voices could further stifle free speech, particularly given what they call increased efforts to diminish the influence of independent news organisations.For his part, Capriles has noted that it is unusual to focus an anti-corruption drive on those out of power.“This is probably the only government on the planet that attacks the opposition for being corrupt… when corruption is with those who exercise power,” Capriles said recently. He added that if Maduro turned investigators loose on the “big fish” around him “we would be left without a government”.Corruption is nothing new in Venezuela, which last year ranked 165th of 174 countries in a Transparency International survey of perceptions of corruption, among the worst along with Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.Voters fed up with official corruption first elected Chavez in 1998. But Chavez publicly acknowledged during his ensuing 14 years in power that graft was a growing threat to his poverty-fighting Bolivarian revolution, even as many of his allies got rich, joining what became known as the “Boli-bourgeoisie.” Yet Chavez largely failed to stem it, and many doubt Maduro will succeed where his charismatic mentor failed, even assuming he really wants to.Venezuela is deeply divided, with many Chavez and Maduro loyalists convinced that theirs is a people’s revolution against a once entrenched, corrupt ruling class. Capriles’s backers claim the government has trampled dissent and pays only lip service to democratic norms.In the middle are many Venezuelans who don’t trust the government’s ability to battle corruption, which has contributed to annual inflation topping 40 per cent, food and medicine shortages and one of the world’s highest homicide rates.“The government does all this to grab attention,” said Rosa Elena Mujica, a 77-year-old retired nurse in the capital’s centre. “Here, corruption will continue ruling as long as they don’t punish the fat fish that are in the government. They become richer and we poorer.”— APVenezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks at the inauguration of a new branch of the National Experimental Security University (UNES) in Caracas, Venezuela, last week.

View the original article here

Maduro vs corruption: In earnest or power grab?

Brazilian states hit by power cut

28 August 2013 Last updated at 20:19 ET A major power cut in Brazil has left nine states in the dark for nearly three hours.

All the state capitals in the north-east of the country were hit by the blackout, including four cities that will be hosting the 2014 World Cup.

More than two-and-a-half hours later power was restored to the state capitals, but smaller cities remained without electricity for longer.

Tens of millions of people across the region were affected.

The government said a fire in Piaui state had caused several transmission lines to go down.

The mines and energy minister, Edson Lobao, said this led to the entire north-eastern region being disconnected from the national grid.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

A spokesman for the country’s electricity regulator Aneel, reportedly said that officials had focused on restoring power before trying to determine what caused the blaze.

The states affected were Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte, Piaui, Alagoas, Ceara, Paraiba, Sergipe and Maranhao.

Power cuts in Brazil are less frequent than in the past, but still happen a few times a year, particularly in the north-east.

Two major power cuts hit the region in 2012 despite recent improvements in energy infrastructure.

View the original article here

Brazilian states hit by power cut

Tallawahs power into LCPL semis

Jamaica Tallawahs, powered by spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, confirmed their spot in the semi-finals of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) Twenty20 after a six-wicket win over Barbados Tridents at Sabina Park in Kingston yesterday.

The Tallawahs join the Tridents and the Guyana Amazon Warriors as teams to progress to the semis.Scores: Barbados Tridents 113-4 (20 overs); Jamaica Tallawahs 114-4 (18.1 overs).The Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel provisionally pulled into the crucial fourth place — ahead of the Antigua Hawksbills — after a six-wicket win over the St Lucia Zouks in the first game of the double-header at the venue.Scores: St Lucia Zouks 99-5 (20 overs); Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel 105-4 (17.5 overs).In the afternoon feature, the Tridents lost the toss and were sent in to bat first, but could only manage 113-4 on a difficult batting surface that was described as “slow and low” by Tallawahs left-arm orthodox slow bowler Nikita Miller.Opener Dwayne Smith batted through the innings and ended unbeaten on 52 from 53 balls.Smith’s mostly circumspect knock was highlighted by a hoisted shot which flew over deep square leg and onto South Camp Road off seamer Vernon Philander’s full toss.Man-of-the-match Muralitharan, the retired Sri Lankan off-spinning great, grabbed 3-12 off four overs.Buoyed by a vibrant, party-like atmosphere and at least a 90-95 per cent capacity stadium, the home team weathered the loss of early wickets, including those of top Twenty20 batsman Christopher Gayle (five), to reach 114-4 with 11 balls remaining.Andre Russell and rookie Jermaine Blackwood were the batting heroes with undefeated knocks of 27 and 21, respectively.The pair combined to thump 13 runs off the 15th over bowled by medium pacer Rayad Emrit and took a further 11 in the next over delivered by left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to shape the victory for the Tallawahs.Their unbroken fifth wicket partnership of 49 runs came off a mere 36 deliveries.In the curtain-raiser, the Zouks opener Andre Fletcher top-scored with a 59-ball 46 not out in the total of 99-5. The Red Steel wrist-spinner Samuel Badree ended with 2-18.In reply, Irishman Kevin O’Brien led the way with 37 runs off 33 deliveries, as the Red Steel reached 105-4 with 13 balls to spare.Zouks left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin took 2-24.The Tridents head the standings with eight points from six matches, ahead of the Amazon Warriors and the Tallawahs, who both also have eight, but trail due to respective inferior run rates.The Red Steel are on six points from as many games, followed by the Hawksbills with four from six. The out-of-contention Zouks, on four, have played all seven of their preliminary matches.Up to press time last evening, the Hawksbills were set to battle the visiting Amazon Warriors at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound — a match the hosts need to win to remain in with a chance of reaching the last four.In the final match of the preliminary phase, the Tallawahs welcome the Red Steel to Sabina Park in today’s 2:00 pm fixture. A victory for the Red Steel would seal the last remaining semi-final spot.Jamaica Tallawahs’ Andre Russell leaps in the air in celebration of his team’s victory over the Barbados Tridents at Sabina Park, yesterday. (PHOTO: BRYAN CUMMINGS)

View the original article here

Tallawahs power into LCPL semis

Power confirmed as US envoy to UN

1 August 2013 Last updated at 18:27 ET Power won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for a book about the US policy response to genocide The US Senate has confirmed Irish-born Harvard scholar and human rights researcher Samantha Power as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to the UN.

Her nomination was approved 87-10, continuing a trend in which the Senate has confirmed Mr Obama’s appointments with bipartisan majorities.

Ms Power, a former White House adviser, replaces Susan Rice, now Mr Obama’s national security adviser.

Mr Obama called her “a long-time champion of human rights and dignity”.

Though her appointment initially drew opposition from Republicans and their conservative backers, Ms Power was easily confirmed under the terms of a deal struck recently between the majority Democrats and the Republicans, who have frequently used their power under the Senate rules to block confirmation of Mr Obama’s appointments.

‘Leading thinker’

Under the deal, described in Washington DC as a truce between the two parties, the minority Republicans in the Senate agreed to allow confirmation of seven of Mr Obama’s cabinet and other appointments.

In exchange, the Democrats agreed not to change the Senate rules to diminish the power of the minority to block other nominations, including judgeships.

“As one of our country’s leading foreign policy thinkers, Samantha knows that our nation’s interests are advanced with strong and principled American leadership,” Mr Obama said in a statement released by the White House after the vote.

“As a long-time champion of human rights and dignity, she will be a fierce advocate for universal rights, fundamental freedoms and US national interests.”

Among the Republicans voting against her was Marco Rubio of Florida, tipped as a possible presidential candidate in 2016.

Mr Rubio said he doubted Ms Power’s willingness to push for a UN that was “more accountable, that it is more effective and that it is just not some multilateral ideal in which we invest all of our hopes”.

Ms Power was born in Ireland and wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on America’s foreign policy response to genocide. She was a foreign policy adviser to Mr Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, and subsequently worked as an adviser in the White House.

In June, Mr Obama named Ms Rice his national security adviser. That position does not require Senate confirmation.

View the original article here

Power confirmed as US envoy to UN

Portland residents run illegal power wires under sea

Latest News

Monday, July 29, 2013 | 8:00 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica Public Service (JPS) says it has made a “shocking discovery” of electricity theft by residents in Portland’s capital town.According to the power company, residents living along the shoreline, in the squatter settlement by the Old Port Antonio Marina fishing village, have run illegal connections to the JPS grid under the sea.The existence of the connections came to light after fishermen in the area complained that they were receiving shocks in the water. Investigations by JPS crew uncovered wires, one lying at an estimated 15 feet, and another 35 feet into the sea. The illegal wires supplied power to over 20 houses, JPS said. The JPS crew surmised that the wires were in the water for an extended period as they were overgrown by seaweed.Two arrests were made following the discovery.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

View the original article here

Portland residents run illegal power wires under sea

INDECOM has power to arrest and charge, Court rules

Latest News

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 | 7:07 AM

KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) has the power of arrest and charge, a judgment handed down in the Constitutional Court said Tuesday morning.The judgment further states there is no requirement for a ruling from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) before an officer is arrested and charged, and that powers possessed by the Commission to arrest and initiate prosecution does not undermine the DPP.INDECOM was established to investigate shootings by the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force.The ruling is a major victory for INDECOM in the matter brought before the Courts by the Jamaica Police Federation (JPF), the Police Officers’ Association, the Special Constabulary Force Association, and the United District Constables’ Association. The JPF and police representative bodies sought a declaration as to whether or not the Commission had the powers to arrest, charge and to initiate prosecutions with or without a ruling from the DPP. The court, comprising Justice Horace Marsh, Justice Lennox Campbell and Justice David Fraser, handed down their judgment in the Constitutional Court which held that the Commission’s staff has by virtue of common law and statue, the power to arrest, charge and initiate prosecution. The statutory power stems from Section 20 of the INDECOM Act which grants like powers, authorities and privileges to the Commissioner and his investigative staff as those given by law to a constable. Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

View the original article here

INDECOM has power to arrest and charge, Court rules

PHOTO: Star Power

Entertainment

Friday, July 26, 2013

American R&B singersongwriter Ne-Yo (left) and reggae artiste Shaggy pause for a Jamaica Observer photo op on the set of a video shoot at Truck Stop Restaurant on West King’s House Road in St Andrew, yesterday. (PHOTO: KARL MCLARTY)

View the original article here

PHOTO: Star Power