Petroleum marketing company Rubis Energy Jamaica Limited will start construction on a new service station adjacent to the Portmore toll plaza early in the new year.
The investment was not disclosed.
Its last station developed at Catherine Hall in Montego Bay cost US$1.3 million, or $200 million in local currency.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony, Rubis Jamaica CEO Michel Malatino said the company intended to open two more new service stations by 2025.
“We have an ambitious network development plan, which involves opening of several new service stations to further cover the territory of the whole island of Jamaica,” he said at the event.
Rubis entered Jamaica a decade ago when it acquired the Shell service station network, and has been investing substantially in expansion and upgrades since then.
The growth programme included new dealers for select locations, including Spanish Town, St Catherine; Four Paths and May Pen in Clarendon; and Oracabessa, St Mary. Accordingly, its workforce has grown to about 1,600 locals.
Earlier this month, the French company started accepted bids for the construction of what will become its 50th service station. Bids close on November 6.
TransJamaican Highway, the operator of the East-West Highway, which includes the Portmore toll road, confirmed that it has struck a deal with Rubis for the buildout of a new station adjacent to the Portmore toll plaza.
It’s the second such arrangement for the highway company, the other being with TotalEnergies which operates a service station at the Old Harbour Interchange.
The East-West Highway, sometimes referred to as Highway 2000, is traversed by around 24 million vehicles annually.