“Our geothermal project will benefit Nevis and St Kitts and other islands in the region, while Dominica will assist neighbouring French islands. With this in mind we have every reason to work together to make sure we have two successful projects in the OECS,” said Parry.
According to Caribbean News Now, the Premier informed the Energy Minister that Nevis had already finalised exploration of its geothermal resources and was planning the next phase, which is production drilling.
During the meeting, Parry and Blackmoore looked at ways in which both islands could learn from each other, share their experiences, and keep lines of communication open into the future.
Nevis is considered to be the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’s renewable energy leader, and Parry indicated that it is crucial that his island works together with Dominica and other regional islands to be able to provide clean and affordable energy to all their residents.
Blackmoore shared his sentiment, and concurred that it was important that the two islands communicate and have transparent discussions on the geothermal matter, especially now that Dominica had begun the process of drilling exploratory wells in the Roseau Valley after signing a multi-million dollar agreement with an Icelandic company for exploration of geothermal energy sources on the volcanic Caribbean island back in April last year.
“Geothermal is a cleaner and cheaper way to go and we believe that open dialogue with Nevis can be very helpful on that road to natural energy success,” said Blackmoore.
Innovative approaches needed
In November of last year, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said member states need to be innovative while working together to utilise the resources available to them more efficiently and effectively. He said in his Energy Week address that “the energy sector is one of the sectors through which the process of integration in CARICOM can be deepened.”
LaRocque noted that the overall objective is “to highlight and raise awareness about energy sector development issues in CARICOM member states and generate solutions, where appropriate.” The theme he said is creating a secure, clean, low carbon and sustainable energy future. LaRocque said, “Energy is such a basic part of our lives that we often take it for granted. Yet, without it, we could not enjoy the services which define our modern way of life, such as convenient meal preparation, fast transportation, piped water supply, air-conditioned environment, communication, entertainment and other conveniences. Further, modern production systems, commercial and social services would not be possible.”
He added that all CARICOM countries are pursuing renewable energy options that include solar electricity, solar thermal, hydropower wind-power, geothermal, bioenergy and marine energy. However, the Secretary General warned that “in order for renewable energy to significantly advance, it is necessary to reform the structure of the electricity markets in many member states to allow for small generators and independent power providers to participate and generate into the grid.”
Geothermal stop-start
Aside from the issue of electricity market reforms, islands in the Caribbean face other challenges hindering the roll-out of geothermal capacity. Back in 2009, CARICOM and St. Kitts and Nevis signed a Memorandum of Understanding for $38,000 to finance technical assistance for Nevis’s geothermal project. At the time, it was hoped the funding would allow the Nevis Island Administration to develop their geothermal resources and have a plant in operation by 2010.
However, last year Joseph Parry criticised unnamed individuals from blocking the long awaited Nevis geothermal project from happening. Mr. Parry said the project could be underway if the Export Import Bank of the United States had not been discouraged from lending $63 million to build the plant. He accused 'certain forces' of going to the US Embassy in Bridgetown and contacting US members of Congress in an effort to discourage the lending of funds by the bank to the Government.
Despite the setback, Parry remains confident. "I am fully satisfied that we will have geothermal energy here, if not next year then the following year,” he said, adding that he personally believed some movement toward the geothermal plant would begin by 2012.
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