Dominica intends to eliminate importation of petroleum products

Darroux at Wednesday's press conference

Dominica’s international development partners including the World Bank have been told that the island wants to move away from the importation of petroleum products.

Minister for the Environment Kenneth Darroux gave that indication at an international donors conference where the island is presenting its Low Carbon Climate Resilient Development Strategy.

“By developing and utilizing renewable energy, we intend to reduce and eliminate the importation of petroleum products which are becoming more and more expensive while at the same time emitting green house gases that causes climate change,” Dr Darroux told the conference.

He said work currently being undertaken to determine the extent of Dominica’s geothermal reserves was an integral part of that process.

Exploration work is being carried out at three test wells in the Roseau Valley area.

“The vision is that the funds saved by exploiting this clean and cheaper form of energy can be used to build sea defence walls and other critical infrastructure that are required to withstand the damaging and destructive effects of climate change,” the minister said.

Participants at the conference include key stake holders from international development partners, regional agencies working in the area of climate change, food security, renewable energy and several related agencies and organisations.

Austrie

Their representatives were told by Acting Prime Minister Reginald Austrie that Dominica wants to be “the cleanest, greenest” country in the hemisphere.

Austrie also said that a key priority was the transformation of the island to a climate resilient economy.

“Going forward, Dominica needs to do more through setting higher standards for energy efficiency, regulating and financing the right mechanisms and incentives to achieve the desired improvements in energy efficiency,” Austrie said.

Dominica is participating along with several other Caribbean states, in a World Bank supported Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

The three-day conference which began here on Wednesday has a number of objectives, including raising financial resources to implement the island’s newly introduced climate related development strategy.

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39 Comments

  1. Wake up or be......
    March 22, 2012

    Isn’t something fundamentally wrong here? Where is the PM of Dominica? Could somebody tell us? Why is Skerritt not attending such an important meeting of international donors right here in Dominica? The Minister of Finance is absent, out of State? What other meeting overseas could be as or more important than that one, where the Finance Minister could meet the donors face-to-face.

    Imagine the PM calls for a meeting of Parliament recently. Parliamentarians from both sides in the House debating National issues, but the PM is not present. Dominicans again did not know of his whereabouts. My fellow Dominicans, is that the kind of leadership our sweet Dominica is faced with? You like it so?

    • Jayson
      March 22, 2012

      As in any democracy : You get what you vote for!

  2. Anonymous
    March 22, 2012

    Guys, guys, guys, I mean come on. let’s stop being too smart for our own good. We all know the Minister was referring to reducing/eliminating petroleum as a source of energy. Wasn’t his opening statement referring to energy? I mean come on now!

  3. De marine
    March 22, 2012

    i agree with the minister bann petrol and its derivatives and use wabyo in our cars,to cook our
    foods and run our fishing boats.

  4. Cesare Bonventre
    March 22, 2012

    100% Bureaucratic Hubris!

    Minister speaks eloquently; but without substance!

    Exactly HOW are they going to plan to get Dominica off petroleum products? Does the minister have any idea how many products are made from petroleum distillates?

    Shouldn’t Dominica first worry about garbage on the streets and beaches? It would not be difficult to organize the public, boy scouts, etc., to clean those beaches up. Yet the bureaucrats have done nothing about that easily fixable problem!!

    It seems the bureaucrats are good at speaking. But are they good at producing any results?

    • Anthony Ismael
      March 22, 2012

      You hit the nail on the head. I live in the US where such discussions are ongoing, however, I have yet to see it in acation. The market determines what products consumers purchase and how they use such products, based on price.
      While engines can burn much cleaner and produce less pollutants, eliminating the importation of petroleum products into Dominica is fool’s gold.

  5. anonymous2
    March 21, 2012

    I hope you aren’t talking about gasoline and diesel.
    And what does the world bank have to do with this? Or is this more of the UN propaganda.

  6. Anonymous
    March 21, 2012

    That for you all Dominicans to protest about alternative energy instead protesting about foolishness, passport and gay plp coming to DA for one day.As a matter of fact i think the ship has left.what you all going to talk about on thursday?

  7. Informatix
    March 21, 2012

    So what about petro caribe nuh??? After dem man build all dem beeg tanks at jimmit allu gonna ban petrol, magway sa!!

    Allu very ungrateful to uncle chavez wee. juss because a likkle sickniss dat take de man allu ready to ban de man petrol ahreddy.

    disclaimer–spelling deviation is intentional–

  8. Talker.
    March 21, 2012

    What on earth this guy meanes when he says petroleum products,like voice of the north said almost every thing on this planet today has petroleum prducts from planes, trains, cars, trucks, tires, electrical components, plastics, includeing garbags bags you name it are petroleum base products and dont forget cell phones.what the.—-.

  9. DOM
    March 21, 2012

    Sounds like a primary school essay to me. Yes Geothermal energy is on way to cut deprendance of on fossil fuels but thats just one area.

    U need petroleum for automobiles, cooking and many other things we use petroleum products for.

    Plastic is a petroleum product so is

    lubricating oil and grease
    Bicycle tires
    putty
    food preservatives
    refridgerants
    paint
    epoxy
    oam cups
    etc etc etc

    Now the right word was reducing dominicas dependancy on fossil fuels.

    Develop hydro-electric plants
    develop geothermal energy
    Use all that wind on the east coast to power wind turbines

    that should cover all the electricity needs of DOminica.

    Make legislation that rewards individuals and companies that use green energy i.e electric cars or hybrids, even smaller more efficient vehicles, Thats what he should be saying or not eliminate petroleum product imports ARGGHHHHH ignorance like a badge of honor.

    • Anonymous
      March 21, 2012

      i dont think the small engine will climb up penville hill with a load of yam.Do you drive?
      but i agree withyou other wise.

      • NatureBoy
        March 23, 2012

        He said “electric cars or hybrids, even smaller more efficient vehicles”. Smaller engine doesn’t necessarily mean weaker. The key is ‘more efficient vehicles’.

  10. mc carthy Marie
    March 21, 2012

    Here is how we can eliminate petroleum. Geothermal energy provides lots of cheap electric power.. WE switch to cooking on electric stoves; WE then also use the cheap electricity to split the hydrogen from the oxygen in water to have pure oxygen; the hydrogen can then be used to dorctly run the engine of a vehicle or be used to produce electricity in a hydrogen fuel cell to run a vehicle and voila we have no more need for diesel , gasoline or LPG and we have thiusn eliminated fossil fuels entirely.

    By the way hydrogen fuelled vehicles are already in use in Iceland among other places. Just remember that the geothermal wells are being drilled by an Icelandic company check out this link for more on hydrogen powered vehicles

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-01-23/iceland-moves-to-hydrogen-power-for-ships-cars/1020960

    • Cesare Bonventre
      March 22, 2012

      All great ideas

      But if the people of Dominica want Geothermal & to entertain viable solutions, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT FOR THEMSELVES

      Bureaucrats have never solved the problems of humanity. In fact, all good works in history have been done in opposition to bureaucrats!

      You want to beautify Dominica – Organize the local boy scouts or whomever to clean up the beaches!

      You want Geothermal, then get it yourself! Contact Raser Technology, Ormat Technologies, Geodynamics, Nevada Geothermal, Calpine, NRG Energy, US Geothermal, AltaRock Energy, Enhanced Geothermal System, Polaris Geothermal, Western GeoPower, Potter Drilling and Thermasource, or any of the 100s of others that get these plants up and running within a week or less.

      Dominicans – like the rest of the world – will have to take care of themselves. This means to stop expecting bureaucrats to solve anything!!!!

  11. Tiger
    March 21, 2012

    I can just see the minister and dem getting a deal on Chinese made electric car. Then when the cars arrive they realize you have to have them plugged into a socket for them to work. So we all driving around with electric wires all over the place and people tripping all over themselves. I am that is what he meant when he said we were going to elimintate the importation of petroleum byproducts.

    Our ministers not easy eh. And the man is some kind of doctor wee.

    • Anonymous
      March 21, 2012

      Tiger you dont make no sence. Are you one of those cartoon tigers

  12. anonymous
    March 21, 2012

    Utter Rubish!!!!. are we moving back to the dark ages.

  13. March 21, 2012

    i hope u cleared that speach with chavez before
    u go saying things like that mr.minister.

    • Anonymous
      March 23, 2012

      At pato:

      I hope you learn how to spell….”speach”?

      SMH and LOL

  14. March 21, 2012

    i will belive it,when your administration stops
    penalizing green energy innovators in dominica.
    more blah blah from these guys.

  15. Francisco Telemaque
    March 21, 2012

    You know I have read some silly comments coming out of the mouth, of some so called government ministers, and officials in Dominica, but this crowns it all.

    I have never heard anything as foolish!

    Petroleum is an oily flammable bituminous liquid that may vary from almost colorless to black, occurs in many places in the upper strata of the earth, it is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with small amounts of other substances, and is prepared for use as gasoline, naphtha, or other products by various refining processes.

    Now, if we stop the importation of petroleum products into the country, that means life as we know it in Dominica will come to an abrupt halt, because our number one priority would be to stop the importation of gasoline which would render every motor vehicles in the country obsolete, there would be no diesel to run the electrical generators, thus there would be no electricity in Dominica.

    Engine oil which lubricates the parts of our car engines to prevent the engine from damage would no longer be available.

    So, in reality we are heading back into the days of the horse and carriage!

    This man does not even know that apart from the liquefied products, every single product we use in Dominica, such as plastics, PVC, even the plastic plates that are used for eating will no longer be available, all of the foam products would be eliminated.

    Here is how ignorant this mans statement is:

    Petroleum jelly is a neutral unctuous odorless tasteless substance obtained from petroleum, and is used especially in ointments, and dressings, in other words, for medicinal purposes, so what are the hospitals going replace it?

    I suppose alternative energy will server the medicinal purpose. You see what happens when people make statements, babbles before they think it through, been in politics, and talk because talk is cheap, one must think before they talk.

    The world bank might be laughing at this mans sentiments!

    Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque

  16. Uncle Sam
    March 21, 2012

    I was thinking the same !
    Where is the country’s Prime Minister ???

  17. Angelo Allen
    March 21, 2012

    This event was supposed to have been a massive one ….. where is Skerrit ?
    I also noticed that he called for a sitting of parliament a few weeks ago , shockingly .. skerrit was also absent … What is he running from ???

    • This Is It
      March 21, 2012

      Skerrit is running from “you”all trouble makers.

  18. Chyna
    March 21, 2012

    “Going forward, Dominica needs to do more through setting higher standards for energy efficiency, regulating and financing the right mechanisms and incentives to achieve the desired improvements in energy efficiency,” Austrie said.

    We are definitely gonna achieve “the cleanest, greenest” country in the region…
    We on to the next level…
    Good luck guys…

  19. SAD
    March 21, 2012

    DNO, you all need to rearrange those photos.. it looks as if Austrie is Darroux and Darroux is Austrie.

  20. FORKIT
    March 21, 2012

    parlez, parlez, parlez.
    how you expect austrie to make his money by petro caribe.
    you want him to reduce and eliminate petrol and its products.

  21. 1979 eTErNAL
    March 21, 2012

    this is hilarious. Restaurants and food vendors better look out, oh and those used tire salesmen. come on people, start to translate the good ministers language.

  22. Hate ignorance
    March 21, 2012

    geothermal cars,what a headline.Thats basically what the headline means. Gasoline and diesel is here for a long time to come. Not even the better able countries are able to completely remove petroleum products from there country much less Dominica . Are we going to start putting a ban on the importation of conventional vehicles and bring in electrically powered vehicles. The geothermal move is however a good one but again why are we so dependent on diesel for electrical power when in the late seventies hydro provided more than sixty percent of the countries power . how comes we less than 50% now. Something must be wrong or is it a money making thing for some people.

    • 4progress
      March 21, 2012

      geothermal, hydro and not fogetting solar….I think DA in on to a good thing. The gov’t needs a energy strategy and plan to cut cost, but also generate revenu

    • Tiger
      March 21, 2012

      Given the pricing formula, which is based on cost plus model, why would Domlec care how they generate electricity? Whatever they spend, they tack on a profit. So there is really no incentive for them to do anything diffently. They have to be mandated by government fo find alternate and cheaper sources for them to move their behinds.

      • My2Sense
        March 23, 2012

        Agreed.

    • Anonymous
      March 21, 2012

      Brazil, morone, is totally dependable.Sugar cane to make all there fuel.

  23. Buffong
    March 21, 2012

    Start first by clearing up all the little heaps of garbage you see all over the villages when one is driving from Marigot to Roseau, then we can start talking, cleanest and greenest island.

    • March 21, 2012

      Buffong, Dominica still remains the cleanest and Greenest Island in the this Hemisphere.

    • BiGmE
      March 21, 2012

      Then people must stop throwing garbage in the villages if they want to see it clean. I know the trucks are not always on time but pass in my village and you don’t see garbage that’s a fact..

  24. Voice From The North
    March 21, 2012

    I quote “Dominica’s international development partners including the World Bank have been told that the island wants to move away from the importation of petroleum products”.
    Is the Minister dreaming? He said eliminate.He should stick to reduction.Is elimination of petroleum products realistic? Seems like he is planning for our vehicles and boats to use steam alcohol or geo-thermal energy as fuel source instead of petroleum based fuels. I would like to see that day when we stop importing gasoline or diesel or plastics. In order to eliminate the importation of petroleum products, we must produce it ourselves or find suitable alternatives.I don’t see Dominica having the capacity to do that in the near future so it is inconceivable how Dominica is going to achieve that feat. TV, computers, printers almost everything on the market is composed of some petroleum based product. Are there plans to start bringing wooden electronic devices? Isn’t it time our leaders think of realistic solutions to our problems and not idealistic( far-fetched) solutions which in our limited capacity we will never achieve?. Talk is cheap.

  25. Observer
    March 21, 2012

    Good

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