News

Negotiations under way for third well for geothermal project on Montserrat, Caribbean

Negotiations under way for third well for geothermal project on Montserrat, Caribbean Drilling site of MON-3 geothermal well in Montserrat, Caribbean (source: Bastien Poux)
Alexander Richter 7 Aug 2018

The UK Department for International Development is in negotiations with Iceland Drilling Company on the completion of the third well for the geothermal project on Montserrat, Caribbean.

This morning news from Montserrat, an island territory of the UK in the Caribbean, report that there are ongoing negotiations for the drilling of a third well for the geothermal project on the island.

In a statement to a parliamentary session last week, Hon. Minister of Energy Paul Lewis said his government remains committed to the geothermal project.

The negotiations on the drilling contract are led by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) with Iceland Drilling Company (IDC) to complete the drilling and testing of the third geothermal well.

The initial drilling contract for the project was signed in April 2016, with work on the third well being stopped after it ran into challenges, as we reported. Minister Lewis did not explain what caused DFID to take the project negotiation and management lead for the third well, when the Government of Montserrat had already successfully completed the first two wells with the same company.

The Montserrat government has completed the Early Market Engagement process for constructing a geothermal surface plant. He said the “findings will be discussed with relevant authorities and DFID”, adding the people of Montserrat will have an opportunity to learn the results of the EMEs once that is done. It is expected that information on the process will be shared before the end of August 2018. There still is a general interest in a public private partnership for distribution and management of the geothermal project.

Source: Discover MNI