NZ firm awarded contract for geothermal wellhead maintenance in Montserrat
JRG Energy will be renewing the geothermal wellheads of Montserrat in preparation for the planned development of a geothermal power plant.
New Zealand-based engineering consultancy group JRG Energy Consultants Ltd. (JRG Energy) has been awarded the contract for the maintenance of existing Geothermal Wellhead equipment at the geothermal site of Montserrat in the Caribbean. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Communications, Works, Labour and Energy (MCWLE). We reported on the tender for this contract in early 2022.
The wellhead maintenance work is funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth (CIPREG) and is scheduled to be complete by the end of December 2022. Representatives from JRG Energy have already conducted an initial site visit at Montserrat.
“JRG Energy Consultants Ltd. out of New Zealand are the successful tenderers and will soon begin work to renew the wellheads in preparation for the development of a geothermal surface plant in Montserrat. This revitalisation work will verify the operability of the geothermal wells and provide important data for potential future investors in Montserrat’s geothermal capabilities.” said Director of Energy Kenrick Burke.
“This renovation work comes more than seven years after the last phase of investment in the drilling of Montserrat’s geothermal wells. This work will not only confirm the condition of the wellheads and that adequate flow ascending to the surface, but it will provide expert maintenance training to the local team. I am very pleased to embark upon the partnership with JRG, and to kickstart a new phase to Montserrat’s commitment to a renewable energy sector.” said Permanent Secretary of MCWLE, Colin Fergus.
In the context of the planned geothermal development in Montserrat, the Government of Montserrat had previously published a tender for the economic development of the country’s existing geothermal wells. Applications for this tender are being accepted until 12 April 2023.
Drilling of the three wells in Montserrat (MON-1, MON-2, and MON-3) was done between 2012 and 2017 with funding from the UK Government through the Department for International Development (DFID). Despite well MON-3 collapsing, data from the two other wells supported a capacity of 3 to 4 MW.
Source: Discover Montserrat