Dominica first in Caribbean to bring geothermal energy to national grid: PM Skerrit

Dominica is all set to become the first nation in the Caribbean region to bring geothermal energy onto its national grid. Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit announced that the geothermal power plant remains in its commissioning phase on June 11.

This means testing adjustments and system integration work are still ongoing before the plant enters full commercial operation.

He reminded the nation that Dominica is the first nation in the Caribbean region to bring geothermal energy onto its national grid while adding that being first means walking a path no one before has walked.

This led to his following statement, “I do not minimize the inconvenience these outages have caused, but I ask for people's understanding as the teething difficulties of these recent weeks are the cost of doing something new.” in response to complaints of recent power outages.

Prime Minister Dr Skerrit continued his speech by mentioning the future benefits of the project, ”But when this work is complete, we will have lower electricity rates, greater reliability and a Dominica that is no longer at the mercy of imported fuel to the extent to which we did before.”

PM Dr Skerrit reassured the nation while saying, “Some technical issues associated with testing and integrating new infrastructure have contributed to service interruptions. The good news is that these issues are being identified, addressed and resolved as part of the commissioning process.”

The project is a flagship renewable energy initiative for Dominica and the region. It is designed to generate 10 megawatts of electricity and developed through a public-private partnership of the Government of Dominica, DOMLEC, and Ormat Technologies.

The project aims to provide lower electricity prices for consumers and drop the country's dependence on imported diesel fuel especially in contemporary times of geopolitical instability.

Additionally, Dr. Skerrit highlighted, “I must point out that in addition to the geothermal power plant itself, commissioning is also underway for the associated substation. The 33 kV underground transmission line, the substation, and the focal battery energy storage system, all of which must operate seamlessly as an integrated power system.”

In the end, he appreciated the nation by saying, “While we acknowledge the inconvenience caused by recent outages, commissioning a project of this scale requires rigorous testing to ensure that when the plant enters commercial operation, it does so safely, reliably and efficiently. So I want to thank the public for its continued understanding and to thank them for their patience.”

This initiative supports Dominica's vision of becoming the world's first climate-resilient nation. Long-term plans have included exploring the possibility of exporting geothermal energy to neighboring islands through submarine cable connections as well.