A delegation from the Nevis Electricity Company Limited (NEVLEC) has traveled to Iceland to conduct the final inspection of the drill rig of Iceland Drilling before it is shipped to Nevis for geothermal drilling operations. Drilling work is expected to begin by the second half of 2026.
As announced a few months ago, Iceland Drilling was awarded the contract for turnkey geothermal drilling services in the island of Nevis, covering six geothermal wells at the Hamilton site. The 272-t Drillmec HH-300 Tyr drilling rig will be deployed for this assignment. Civil works for the preparation of the drilling pad will be undertaken by Iceland company COWI with supervision from Iceland Drilling.
The drilling is part of a planned 30-MW geothermal power development which will supply both islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. The geothermal project is being led by the Nevis Island Administration, with NEVLEC serving as the executing agency. The initiative is supported by the Federal Government and financial partners including the Caribbean Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and the Green Climate Fund.
The delegation that inspected the drilling rig was led by newly-appointed NEVLEC General Manager Nelson Stapleton along with Project Coordinator Naftalie Erra and a contracted team from Scotia Drilling Consultants, a UK-based drilling specialist firm. The NEVLEC team engaged with drilling, engineering, and geothermal specialists in Iceland to learn about the equipment and its requirements once it arrives on the island.
“As we move closer to drilling, it is important that NEVLEC has direct oversight of the rig’s readiness and a clear understanding of what will be required once the equipment is mobilized to Nevis,” said Stapleton.
“Equally important is building the capacity of our team so that the knowledge and experience gained during this stage remains within NEVLEC and can support the project throughout drilling and the subsequent development of the geothermal resource.”
St. Kitts and Nevis is hoping to replicate the success of Dominica, which just recently started commercial operations of a 10-MW geothermal power generation facility. By developing Nevis’ indigenous geothermal resource, the island nation stands to heavily reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and strengthen its energy security with a sustainable and green energy source. The local government has also reportedly been in talks with neighboring Antigua and Barbuda to negotiate a potential geothermal power supply agreement.
Source: The St. Kitts & Nevis Observer
