Gov’t officials confirm Dominica’s geothermal project on track for timely completion

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed that he is “very pleased” with the ongoing progress of the Dominica Geothermal Project.

“First of all, I am very happy with the progress,” he said on a visit to the power plant in Laudat this week.  “Obviously, we are on schedule for the end of February transmission to [Dominica Electricity Services] DOMLEC, so that DOMLEC can get it on to our individual homes and businesses.”

The Prime Minister recognized that the leadership and guidance of the Minister for Energy, Dr. Vince Henderson has been instrumental for this project over an extended period of time.

“So, we credit a lot of what’s happened to his guidance and his consistency,” he stated. “And of course, to the Geothermal Company in Dominica and all of the technical people…”

He also gave credit to Ormat, saying that the government enjoys a good relationship with the company.

“You can see the professional work they have done. So far, they have been good partners, and we look forward to working with them over the next 25 years or so during the operation of this Plant.”

Meanwhile, Minister for Energy Dr. Vince Henderson concurred that Ormat has been an excellent partner.

“Ormat has been an excellent partner so far,” he said. “We’ve had no difficulties…in any case contracts can be complicated, so we may have disagreements over some points, but I think they have turned out to be very good partners.”

He continued, “and a private-public partnership arrangement: that we are responsible for one part of the project, that is the transmission, and they are responsible for the Plant.”

Furthermore, Dr. Henderson said DOMLEC has been a very reliable partner in helping to facilitate things.

“So far, all parties are playing their role, and this is why we are seeing a completion date that is pretty much what we signed up for,” he stated. “We are looking at the end of 2025, and we just moved two months in 2026–by the end February.”

He went on to add that the project has been a good exercise, “and to prove that we can do difficult and complex things in Dominica.”

This follows Finance Minister Dr. Irving McIntyre’s recent definitive announcement that the commissioning of Dominica’s 10-Megawatt Geothermal Plant will begin in December 2025, with commercial operations scheduled to start in March 2026.

The geothermal initiative is regarded as a cornerstone of Dominica’s transition to sustainable energy and is expected to significantly advance the nation’s long-term energy resilience.