‘The construction of the power plant is on schedule’ – Finance minister Dr. Irving McIntyre says

During his presentation of the National Budget for the Fiscal Year 2025/2026 on Friday, Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience and Social Security Dr. Irving McIntyre provided an update of the Roseau Valley 10 Megawatt geothermal power plant.

He confirmed that “the construction of the power plant is on schedule”.

“The turbines, generators, pipelines to the geothermal wells, and cooling system are on site, and installation works are progressing,” he said.

According to Dr. McIntyre, testing of the various components of the power plant will commence in October of this year, with commissioning planned for the end of December 2025.

“Public education efforts, ranging from community to school consultations and private sector tours, are also building national awareness as we plan future geothermal expansion and commercial use,”  he explained.

He continued, “…To support this shift to 100% renewable energy and enhance efficiency, we are upgrading our transmission network at a cost of $116.1 million, starting with a resilient, Hurricane-Category-5-rated system connecting the Roseau Valley to Fond Cole.”

 This, he said, includes three new substations and 18 km of underground and overhead lines, funded through a World Bank loan and Global Environment Facility grant.

“Work has begun on the Padu, Trafalgar and Fond Cole substations, with key components to become operational by late 2025,” Dr. McIntyre stated.

Additionally, he asserted that a $7 million 5-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System, funded by the Governments of Dominica and the United Arab Emirates, was commissioned in May 2025 at DOMLEC’s generation site in Fond Cole, which brought two major benefits to DOMLEC and its consumers.

“Firstly, it has reduced the cost of generation as DOMLEC is now able to store power and shut down generators which originally would have been in operation to back up other generators[and] secondly, it has significantly increased the reliability of DOMLEC’s service as the company is now able to keep five megawatts of power, twice the size of the company’s largest generator, on standby, to be utilized in the event of loss of generation,” he revealed.

In the meantime, as it relates to the Douglas-Charles Airport, Dr. McIntyre mentioned that upgrades, including the installation of runway lighting, extension, and grooving, have significantly enhanced the airport’s capacity and reliability.

Coupled with direct negotiations with major carriers, he noted that these improvements have led to increased visitor arrivals into Dominica, especially from key North American markets.

“In addition, Caribbean Airlines will commence service to Dominica from San Juan beginning next month, further strengthening our regional and international links,” he revealed. “We continue to implement our aggressive route development strategy to secure airline commitments ahead of the commissioning international airport.”

The minister further emphasized that in addition to the direct flights from major carriers such as American Airlines and United Airlines, the government is pursuing direct flights from Toronto, Atlanta, and St. Thomas, “ while discussions with other regional and international airlines, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Condor, are ongoing and promising.”

These actions are not only increasing arrivals in the short term but are also proactively positioning Dominica to benefit from increased airlift as soon as the new airport becomes operational.