Negotiations on Dominica’s geothermal plant underway, construction expected in April
Construction of the geothermal plant in Dominica may begin in April this year, as soon as the negotiations with the developer wrap up this month, according to reports.
The government has reported that the drilling exercises in the Roseau Valley on the outskirts of the capital are almost complete and has shown “excellent results so far,” according to a report by the Caribbean News Weekly.
“We are hoping that by April we would have concluded all the drilling and we would then move quickly into the construction of a power plant,” said Dr. Vance Henderson, Dominica’s Planning, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, Sustainable Development, and Renewable Energy Minister, during a recent press conference.
“Negotiations with a developer on the construction of the power plant will begin by the third of February …they will be on island we will start discussions and we hoping that we can at least advance to be ready by the time drilling is completed and of course the design and tender for the transmission lines are done,” Henderson added.
The report also disclosed that transmission of the generated energy to other locations are underway.
The Dominica Geothermal Development Company Ltd., estimates the geothermal plant to be completed in 18 months, with 23,000 houses expected to benefit from the renewable energy.
Henderson told reporters that the location of the plant is yet to be decided, especially with the aim of resiliency of the infrastructure. He estimates, that the costs could amount to about US$70 to US$80 million.
Henderson has also described this plant a “significant investment” for which funds have already been secured from the World Bank.
The geothermal plant also gets its funding from the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme of Dominica, often touted as one of the oldest and trusted CBI programmes in the world.
The CBI programme has been essential in building back a better Dominica post-Typhoon Erika and Hurricane Maria, with thousands of climate-resilient residential buildings and other important infrastructure built in partnership with MMC Development Ltd., a private developing company that has been working closely with the government for several years now after proving its dedication to the cause.