The government of Dominica is on the drive to commercialize geothermal resources with the construction of the power plant and the new high-capacity transmission network.
Last year, the country made major strides during the last fiscal year in the project and investment in renewable energy.
Speaking during the budget address, Finance Minister Dr McIntyre said that the geothermal power plant project has witnessed significant growth with several initiatives. He said that the project is known as one of the transformative efforts of the government of Dominica for the fulfilment of their resilient goals.
The three critical objectives have made the project significant for the growth of Dominica which are mentioned below:
- The project will be helpful and essential to reduce the cost of electricity in Dominica
- It will work as the assistance in generating 100% of their electricity from renewable sources
- The geothermal power plant project will create new commercial activity based on our abundant geothermal resources.
Along with that, Finance Minister Dr McIntyre said that the government of Dominica has drilled and tested the two additional geothermal wells which were required to operate the planned 10-megawatt power plant in Laudat in the period of over the last eight months.
He announced that the government of Dominica will now shift their focus on two major developments for this fiscal year.
- The construction of the power plant will be important for the development of the geothermal power plant
- The government will focus on building a new high-capacity transmission network. To ensure greater resiliency, the transmission lines from Laudat to Fond Cole will be placed underground.
Finance Minister said that the government is investing in developing the skills of their people so that they can play a major role in the ongoing development of their energy infrastructure. He said that over the last year, their nationals have benefited from various forms of skills training, including internships during drilling and participation in a 6-month geothermal training program in Iceland.
"We acknowledge that this has been a long journey, but this Government has remained committed to this project because we understand the long-term, permanent and positive impact the fully commissioned geothermal plant will have on the cost of doing business, on the electricity bills of consumers, and the huge potential for attracting foreign direct investment because of the reduction in the cost of energy."
-Finance Minister Dr Irving McIntyre
