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Preparation started on drill site for geothermal project in St. Vincent and Grenadines

Preparation started on drill site for geothermal project in St. Vincent and Grenadines Drill pad ready for the rig, St. Vincent (source: API/ screenshot)
Carlo Cariaga 3 Apr 2019

With the arrival of four heavy-duty cranes in the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, drilling is underway for the planned geothermal site that will provide enough electricity to supply the country's baseload.

Drilling of the geothermal site in the island nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is underway with the arrival of the four heavy duty cranes which will be used to lift and position the drilling apparatus. The wells will supply steam to a planned 10 MW geothermal power plant which will reduce the country’s dependence on imported diesel and will provide a new sustainable and affordable energy source. The drilling contract for the four wells was signed in November 2018.

If the plant becomes operational as planned, it will supply all of the country’s baseload power. It will also bring the country’s renewable energy to about 73% of total power generation, well above the 60% target of the SVG’s Energy Action Plan.

The developer of this project is the company St. Vincent Geothermal Company Limited, which is owned by Reykjavik Geothermal and the Government of St. Vincent.  Mannvit engineering is providing most of the engineering service for the project, while Jacobs will be acting as a drilling supervisor. The drilling contractor is Iceland Drilling Company.  Their drilling rig Drillmec HH-220 is expected to arrive on the island this week.  Mobilization from the harbor and rig up is estimated to take around 2 weeks.

Several international organizations have provided support for the SVG geothermal project in the form of grants, contingent recoverable grants (CRG), and concessional loans. The lead financier is the Caribbean Development Bank, which has also been actively coordinating additional funding from the international community.

A CRG has been provided by the Inter-American Development Bank via the Clean Technology Fund and the Global Environmental Facility. This funding will help mitigate the risks associated with the drilling phase of the project.

Other contributors to the project include the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the European Union Caribbean Investment Facility, the ADFD via IRENA, the governments of New Zealand, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, and international bodies including CCI, RMI, and the Carbon War Room.

Source: News 784