The government of Dominica has announced its intention to break ground on a geothermal energy power plant by the third quarter of 2019. From Caribbean News Service:

Energy Minister Ian Douglas said that the plant to be constructed in the Roseau Valley, on the outskirts of the capital, will be a major boost for the island that is attempting to become the world’s first climate resilient country.

“The government has seen tremendous progress being made in the geothermal development programme. This is one of the pillars on which we intend to achieve the goal of being the first climate resilient country in the world,” Douglas said on the state-owned DBS radio Wednesday.

“We thank all our international partners who have helped us in this quest to date. We are now in the position to begin the construction of the power plant by the third quarter of 2019,” he said.

Douglas told radio listeners that with the commissioning of the plant “we will be in a position to benefit from clean reliable, low cost renewable and high quality energy supply in the future which will benefit all sectors of productive activity in Dominica”.

The project will be managed by the Dominica Geothermal Development Company, a special purpose vehicle established by the government to lead all national activities relating to geothermal exploration and exploitation in Dominica. In 2018, the World Bank announced that it intended to provide more than US$17 million to support development of the geothermal plant. 

[Image: via Caribbean News Service]