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Geothermal power export as option for various Caribbean island states

Geothermal power export as option for various Caribbean island states Petit St. Vincent (PSV), Winward Island, The Grenadines, Caribbean (source: flickr/ lyng883, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 27 Jan 2016

With its geothermal projects Nevis and St. Vincent are hopeful they could not only generate clean electricity for their island states, but also be in a position to export electricity to neighboring islands in the Caribbean.

Having reported on the geothermal ambitions and project in Nevis (Nevis & St. Kitts) over the years, there have been discussions about a cable connection for a potential plant also selling/ exporting power to neighboring island states.

While an initially planned power generation capacity of the Nevis geothermal project is 10 MW, there is believed a potential of up to an additional 150 MW. This would be more power than the island needs and provide sufficient power to export to Antigua & Barbuda and other territories, so Nevis Premier and St Kitts Nevis Minister of Tourism Mark Brantley in the Antigua Observer.

Nevis plans to achieve its goal of deriving 100% of its energy from renewables by the end of 2017.

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In related news reported today, The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines also talks about his island states ambitions for renewable energy, naming geothermal and hydro plants. He also mentions the possibility of exporting some of that clean energy to neighboring Barbados. The state believes to have a geothermal power potential of 150 to 300 MW.

 

St. Vincent is looking into geothermal development with Canadian energy company Emera, which owns the Barbados Light & Power Company, and Reykjavik Geothermal and hopes to be in a position to feed the energy here through undersea pipes.

Emera and Reykjavik Geothermal are planning a” US$82 million project for a 12 megawatt geothermal plant, that could start operation by the end of 2018″ and would allow St. Vincent and the Grenadines to generate about 80 per cent of its electricity by geothermal and hydro.”

 

With the current oil prices an export of geothermal power does not make sense, but could when oil prices go up again.

Source: Barbados Today, Antigua Observer