Roseau -Looking ahead at a sustainable future, Dominica is moving ahead with its plans to promote use of green energy across the nation.
As per various surveys that have been carried out since the 1970s, it is believed that the nation can meet its entire power demand through geothermal energy which can help Dominica cut down its reliance on fossil fuels.
The untapped geothermal potential in Dominica can help the government not just save on forex, but also create a greener environment for its citizens.
The government has already partnered with the World Bank to set up a 10 megawatt geothermal power plant at Laudat by 2026.
The government has identified that the Roseau Valley has a high potential for setting up of geothermal power plants.
The government is already working on setting up the 10 megawatt geothermal power plant as per the agreement signed during the COP 28 meeting at Dubai in December 2023.
In line with this agreement, the Government of Dominica and the Dominica Electricity Services (DOMLEC) have partnered with Ormat Technologies Inc., a U.S.-based company, which will be developing the 10 megawatt geothermal power plant at Laudat.
The plant is being set up under a build and operate agreement. Ormat Technologies will finance, construct, operate and maintain the power plant for the next 25 years, while providing renewable and cheaper power to the citizens of Dominica.
The construction of this plant is expected to begin in the first half of 2025 and is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The electricity generated from this plant will be enough to power more than 23000 houses. This will tilt the scales in favour of renewable energy as Dominica will be able to supplement 25% of its entire power demand through geothermal energy.
As per one of the surveys this plant will bring down greenhouse emissions by around 38000 turns of co2 annually.
The government is expecting that once operational, this plant will help in stabilizing the cost of power for the citizens of Dominica, while bringing down the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. Cheaper power from this plant will create more economic opportunities for the people of Dominica.
The government has also worked out a detailed plan to meet its entire power demand through renewable energy by 2030.
To meet this ambitious goal the government has partnered with the World Bank and the UK Government.
Supporting this plan, the World bank has sanctioned a fund of $38.5 million which will be spent on strengthening the distribution and transmission network across the nation. This will improve the transmission and will ensure supply of reliable and continuous power from the renewable sources to the citizens of the nation
Dominica had started exploring the potential of geothermal energy in the late 1970’s and over the last five decades it has continued to explore more ways of tapping into this renewable source of energy.
For this purpose the government had also set up the Dominica Geothermal Development Company (DGDC) which had been actively engaged in exploring the areas which can be used to harness the geothermal energy.
By putting up renewable energy plants Dominica is also hoping to set an example for other Caribbean Nations to follow suit.
