The Government of Dominica will host the Dominica Geothermal Development Partners Forum on Thursday and Friday of this week.
At that forum, government will provide a status update on the country’s successes to date in developing its geothermal energy for the generation of electricity.
The forum will also present opportunities for the partners to express their support for and to provide their own ideas on the best way to effectively develop the island’s geothermal resource, to ensure maximum benefits to the people of Dominica.
Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, will open the forum with a keynote address on Thursday at the Fort Young Hotel.
The forum is being hosted by the Ministry of Public Works, Energy and Ports with support from the World Bank, under a grant received from the Government of Denmark SIDS DOCK Support Programme.
Dominica’s Energy Minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, said Government has been pursuing the development of the island’s geothermal energy for the past several years.
He said assistance from the Organisation of American States (OAS) in the early 2000’s provided the basis to move forward.
“The Government continued with assistance from the European Commission, The Government of France, the French Development Agency, and the Regional Councils of Martinique and Guadeloupe and recently concluded preliminary studies,” he said.
The Government of Dominica has so far invested over EC$30-million on preliminary work associated with the geothermal energy project.
The Energy Minister went on to state that based on the studies “the island has the capacity to generate over 120 mega watts of electricity in the Roseau Valley, enough to meet Dominica’s domestic needs and to supply the neighboring islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.”
A news release from the Ministry of Energy states that “The Government of Dominica remains committed to developing the island’s geothermal resource in a manner than is responsible and consistent with international standards.”
The release states further that “the interest of all Dominicans, especially those in the immediate resource areas in the Roseau Valley will continue to be given priority.”
DA don’t need geothermal…..there is no heavy industry, and with a population that can fit in a mid-sized stadium,….where all you going with all that digging and spoiling and still want to come and talk about Nature Isle? IMO, wind water and solar enough for us.Cheaper current?
Export it make money? 
Dream on… 
With regard to the suitability of wind,it seems that someone has written that “with wind you have very limited capacity and intermittent at that” On this I have to reply and say that this wind that hits the eastern coast is constant, permanent and invariable. That is why if is called “the prevailing winds”. There is no one in Dominica and in this world who can say that they have ever witnessed a cessation of this prevailing wind. I therefore say again, that this wind is inexhaustible. It is so constant that small trees growing on the cliffs on the atlantic coast take the shape of the configuration of the cliff.
Now,please permit me to mention that the United States of America is now populating the whole of its eastern coast states with wind farms,and feeding this generated energy to the national grid.
Please allow me to quote from this web site
<e360.yale.edu/feature/. This is just to illustrate what I have said about the U.S. populating its eastern coast states with windfarms.
"We belive that the single best site for offshore wind in the United States" says Deepwater CBO Jeffery Crybowski, citing the powerful and consistent winds and access to markets in Massachusetts,Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York. Though the exact number will depend on how much power it can sell to utilities, Deepwater Wind hopes to instal roughly 200 turbines that could generate 1,000 megawatts enough to power about 400,000 homes".
So, although there a many Geothermal sourcesin the USA, it is going towards that consistently inexhaustible, thus, the most constant and reliable wind.
Dominica has committed to go Geothermal but it should also take a look at wind as the United States and many European countries have done. Going the 'wind way'is faster startup, more enomical and less expensive overall.
Yrs, Emil Ti Kwen.
Iceland also used volcanic activity to heat their homes and provide power to produce electricity. The people who do not invest in geothermal energy in Dominica will regret it this should be a priority in Dominica it will work wonders for the Dominica economy Dominicans will no longer have to beg for foreign financial aid and be indebted to any country.
The prevailing winds along the east coast are indeed a limited potential source of aeolian power. However each wind turbine produces a very limited amount of electricity (I do not have the kW generation figures for this). And in the opinion of many, each wind turbine is an eyesore – as a resident of the east coast, this concerns me. Those are the main two negatives.
Using the heat readily available at shallow depths to produce geothermal power is potentially a longterm source of enough electricity to supply the needs of Dominica (plus export, but let’s forget about that for the moment). It has a small localized footprint.
Have you seen the windfarms, such as those you refer to? I have and I have no desire to see them in Dominica, where we are blessed with a natural geothermal power generator.
I support the development of geothermal energy for domestic consumption and for export. Let’s us come together in advancing this most important project and put our best efforts behind it.
This is excellent news for the future prosperity of Dominicans.
All the haters can’t comment on progress. What a shame!
Very good Job DLP.
In case those in favour of Geothermal are watching:
DIGGING.
Geothermal. About 1 mile
Windmill About 10 feet
PRODUCTION START
Geothermal Many years
Windmill As soon as set up
RELIABILITY OF POWER SOURCE
Geothermal Boiling Lake dries up every 50yrs.
Windmill The wind is inexhaustible
With wind, you win, win, win.
Emil Ti Kwen
Incorrect my friend. With wind you ahve very limited capacity and intermittent at that. Geothermal is THE most ideal form of electricity generation and Dominica is fortunate in having this option.