Geothermal project to get funding from World Bank

Geothermal activity in the Roseau Valley in 2014. File photo

The World Bank has said that it will provide more than US$17-million for the development of a geothermal plant in Dominica.

Karlene Francis, the bank’s Operations Officer, said geothermal energy is consistent with the government’s plan of making Dominica the first climate resilent country in the world.

The government has already announced plans to establish a seven megawatt geothermal plant that is estimated to cost US$40-million.

“The bank is also working with the Dominica Geothermal Development Company to prepare a geothermal risk mitigation project,” she said at the launch of the Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) on Friday.

She said such a plant will replace diesel generation and reduce electricity cost in Dominica, adding that geothermal energy is very resilient.

“Geothermal energy is extremely resilient and consistent with the government’s strategy. We acknowledge the strong partnership with a number of donors including the government of New Zealand . . . which have joined the efforts to co-finance the project valued at US$48 million of which US$17.2 million will be funded by the World Bank,” Francis stated.

She said the World Bank is working in strong collaboration with other development partners to reduce the burden and transaction costs on the country by moving more to partnerships.

“In this context CREAD is a step in the right direction to coordinate all the projects, no matter the financier,” Francis stated.

The government has already spent over $50-million exploring the island’s geothermal potential.

In February 2017, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced that an investment of $45-million will be made available for the development of a geothermal plant. He said the funds would come from the country’s Citizenship by Investment Program (CBI).

In September 2016, Dominica and New Zealand signed an EC$4-million Partnership Agreement to support the construction of a 7 MW geothermal power plant on the island.

In December 2016, Dr. Vince Henderson, who is now Dominica’s Ambassador to the US, said the United Kingdom had committed $7-million grant funding to the project. He said this amount has been promised, however, it’s up to the UK Government to commit to contributing that amount.

In June 2016, during a visit to Dominica, UK’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of International Development, Baroness Sandip Verma, urged the government to “get on” with the much-talked-about project, saying it should not be “left to be on the back burner for a long time.”

In April 2016, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit emphasized the government’s commitment to the harnessing and development of geothermal energy in Dominica.

In March 2015, Energy Minister Ian Douglas said that a draft Geothermal Bill, which will govern the exploration, development and exploitation of power that will be generated from the country’s geothermal resources, is nearing completion.

Douglas said a construction of a small geothermal plant is to begin by 2017.

In 2012 former Energy Minister, Rayburn Blackmoore, said construction of a geothermal plant would begin in the first quarter of 2013.

Also in 2012, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, told parliament that Dominica could have a geothermal power plant in operation by 2014.

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29 Comments

  1. My name
    March 13, 2018

    What about Solar energy….they going to dig up the Volcanoes again… all what the Government has done fails. Please Dominica Wise up

  2. Anthony P. Ismael Minister of Free Pampers
    March 13, 2018

    More millions for the boys to build second, third and fourth homes and villas. Look for the boys to start traveling soon to Asia, Africa, Europe and parts unknown to ride their camels again.

  3. Ghort
    March 13, 2018

    My God we seeing money mIllions coming and nothing happening in that bloody country … I mean look at the road … look at the country..look at roseau a bloody mess.. dirty smelling drains …18 years under that DLP and the same shit.. yet dominicans still contemplating on puthing back that currupt gov in office next election? I mean really? What have these people done for the country in the last 17 years…I cannot see nothing nothing ..bailey bridge all over ..no jobs .. no factories…road in a mess.. roseau is like a dump.. peoplet vending all over the place like Haiti… my god get rid of that government..

  4. John
    March 12, 2018

    Who is going to watch the money?

  5. Real Truth
    March 12, 2018

    Fools,… 17mil is just a drop in the bucket to build this plant correctly ……but please remember we don’t have the funds to maintain such an operation…. If Domlec is a failure , or barely surviving , what chance does a geothermal operation stand…
    I really cannot believe my people will fall for this political sharade ,….. It’s all about power and control folks……….at any cost!

    • anonymous2
      March 13, 2018

      That’s right. The World Bankers are in control more than most of the people of this island can even begin to realize. They tell Skero what to say and do.

  6. March 12, 2018

    Am so sick of hearing about all these non-functional projects in Dominica. Will this DLP Government stop wasting time and money and do something that will really be functional. I don’t wanna be always negative but for once give me something to Applaud you guys on?

  7. prophet for a profit
    March 12, 2018

    more funding and more in the millions and millions. Time will tell what progress we make

  8. derp
    March 12, 2018

    “She said such a plant will replace diesel generation and reduce electricity cost in Dominica” true nuh, so what going to happen to Domlec…..

    • anonymous2
      March 13, 2018

      Don’t worry, it will never come to fruition.

  9. DLP STRATEGIST
    March 12, 2018

    Thank you DNO for the little history….politicians boy?.

    • RandyX
      March 12, 2018

      Yeah, makes very poor reading, doesn’t it. Lies from Skerrit, lies from Blackmoore, lies from Douglas. That’s what this government does best.

  10. Current
    March 12, 2018

    Good job DNO. That is what media must do. Report the facts with a historical foundation if needs be.

  11. No Law, No constitution
    March 12, 2018

    I thought is Ian alone he was able to fool more than once man. But now the man even fooling a powerful world entity, who else and what will he not fool?

    • Daybyday
      March 12, 2018

      That’s shows you how ignorant you are. If a country was so corrupt the government would not constantly be receiving funding. In corrupt nations they send down a team to manage the funds themselves

      • RandyX
        March 12, 2018

        The ignorant one is you. How much cash aid is flowing to DA from the EU or the US nowadays. They have woken up and smelled the coffee. You only see what you want to see. Let me give you a bit of advice: the real crime is turning a blind eye! All you Skerrit supporters better keep that in mind

      • Anthony P. Ismael Minister of Free Pampers
        March 13, 2018

        Why don’t you ask your boys to produce a detailed financial report of income and expenditure for this project. They’ve spent some fifty million so far and what have we gotten for that sum of money?
        How about a big fat nothing to show for it.

  12. Waypapa
    March 12, 2018

    And the funds keep on coming!!Heh heh pwen sa zor sotsot.

  13. Ibo France
    March 12, 2018

    Geothermal energy would bring great relief in lowering the staggering cost of electricity to the citizens and residents of Dominica, no doubt about that. Unfortunately, geothermal energy has been bandied about by the present government for much too long without any signs of real progress. Is this geothermal project just a fabricated reality on the part of government for political expedience? The country needs deeds not words. Skerrit solemnly promised the people that a geothermal plant would be operationalized by 2014. This was a lie. He told the whole world that the Opposition planned a coup d’état to overthrow his government. That too was a dangerous lie. Skerrit’s administration has a propensity for being very economical with the truth.

    • anonymous2
      March 13, 2018

      Get real and wake up. That project never was for the people of DA.

  14. dee
    March 12, 2018

    Every village could have their own solar power plant and wouldn’t have to rely on power being transported throughout Dominica from one Geo Thermal plant. When a a category hurricane hits again , island wide interruption all over again. Irrespective of what the PM says and thinks electricity cannot be re -instated island wide before the end of the year .
    It’s six months now and villages only 5 miles away are still in total darkness
    It will still be a dark and bleak Christmas for many out districts i am sure .
    Those generators have started breaking down and fuel for them is very costly so the future is bleak .

  15. Rupert Sorhaindo
    March 12, 2018

    DNO the skepticism embedded in this “news” item is very evident. Couldn’t your news-writer accentuate the positive? Now the platform has been set for those who thrive on negativity to go on a feeding frenzy!
    Having said that I am looking forward to seeing a comprehensive report on the presentations made at the CREAD launching appear on DNO sometime this week!

    • RandyX
      March 12, 2018

      If you like to listen to DLP propaganda I suggest you tune in to GIS, DBS or Kairi.

    • March 12, 2018

      sounds like u are scared of the truth,this is the way news is supposed to be reported .The good the bad and the ugly

  16. dee
    March 12, 2018

    I am asking whether it would have been that costly to have harnessed the power from the sun, utilizing solar panels as so many other countries do. wouldn’t such a project have
    progressed further where Dominicans would be using that resource already ?
    I am definitely not in favor of disturbing the topography of the country now . We have seen and experienced now, through Maria what mishaps can happen when the natural vegetation and soil is disturbed by man made alterations .
    I fear such exploration could trigger catastrophic explosions and of course that would run down the valley the same as the Roseau River.
    Lets leave well alone OK .
    the Sun is there , its going nowhere , it cannot leave that sky and say it doing like Maria ,
    it is a cleaner source of power and can be managed much more efficiently .
    Enough of Dominica’s resources have been funneled through that Geo Thermal belief.
    Election must be around the corner , I say.

    • anonymous2
      March 13, 2018

      You need to run for Skerritt’s position next election. Be brave.

  17. ManiCou
    March 12, 2018

    When one come from a culture where projects are initiated and completed in a timely manner it is so hard to deal with the many projects that never seem to come to fuition in Dominica.

  18. My little take
    March 12, 2018

    You remember mighty Sparrow old song called “Parables”? One of the lines goes like this: “fool makes his money but it gonna take the wise man to spend it.” The world bank and Skerrit just kind of remind me of that song as one seems to have the money but the other seems to be spending it. No, I am not at all indicating that Skerrit is wise because he is the one spending it neither am I suggesting the world bank foolish for letting Skerrit use their money. But what I do believe is, the world bank is fool of money and don’t know how to spend it. So upon hearing about Dominica and it’s devastation from Maria the world bank is pushing their hands deep to Dominica but unfortunately they dealing with a man that is very corrupt and will do what it takes to use funds for political and personal mileage.

    • anonymous2
      March 13, 2018

      I guarantee you, that the World Bankers know exactly where and how to spend their money. They have bought up the world.

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