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Geothermal expected to transform Nevis in the Caribbean

Geothermal expected to transform Nevis in the Caribbean Montpellier plantation, Nevis (source: flickr/ tiarescott, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 22 Jan 2016

The use of geothermal for electricity generation promises to change the island of Nevis completely, providing a new economic framework.

In a recent article in a travel publication, Mark Brantley, St. Kitts & Nevis’ Minister of foreign affairs and aviation. Brantley, who previously served as deputy premier and tourism minister for St. Kitts and Nevis and now is Nevis’ tourism minister in addition to his other duties, has been a key figure behind a decade-long effort to construct a geothermal power plant on Nevis.

With an expected 10 MW to start with, the planned geothermal power plant will play a significant role for tourism in Nevis, according to Brantley. It could even see a further development of an additional 140 MW, which would allow the country to not only fully derive power for the island but also become an exporter of geothermal power to other Caribbean islands.

Geothermal energy promises to change the nation forever. “It means we have a revenue stream we didn’t have before,” said Brantley.

“Geothermal is transformative and will change our way of doing business on our islands. It also allows us to protect what we have because we are not subject to the same pressures that we see with other islands with large chains and cruise ships coming in,” he said. “It provides us with a new economic framework, and shows that a small Caribbean island can become a model for sustainable development.”

Source: TravelPulse