Parliament session covers disaster vulnerability, water storage, geothermal solutions

The Parliament of Dominica has approved supplementary estimates for  2023-2024 amounting to EC$ 52, 441, 040.

Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Climate Resilience, and Social Security, Dr. Irving McIntyre tabled the motion during the Ninth Meeting of the First Session of the Eleventh Parliament, on Monday.

“The Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project, commonly referred to as the DVRP funded by the World Bank, became effective on the 8th of September 2014 with its main objectives to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change impacts in Dominica through 1. Investment in resilient infrastructure and 2, [Improved] hazards data collection and monitoring systems,” he said.

Dr. McIntyre continued, “Mr. Speaker since its inception, the government has achieved the following; 90 percent of Lot 1 of East Coast Road Rehabilitation Project has been completed, 40 percent of Lot 2 of East Coast Road Rehabilitation Project has also been completed.”

He added, “We are seeing the construction and commissioning of water storage tanks in eight communities, namely Morne Rachette, Plat Ma Pierre, Bioche, Picard, Glanvillia, Range, Savanne Paille, and Cottage, thereby increasing water storage capacity by over one-million litres.”

According to Dr. McIntyre, the government has also undertaken the expansion of forestry nursery facilities to include the rehabilitation of some of the buildings, planting sheds, storage sheds, and related infrastructure to name a few.

“A new meteorological office building has been constructed in Jimmit as well. A national [hydrometrical] network has been developed and installed to ensure that all the 34 hydro and monitoring stations are online and fully operational,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Parliament has approved the motion for the resolution to authorize the credit facility of EC$103.95 million from the International Development Association (IDA) for the development of Dominica’s geothermal energy.

A new electricity power plant is required to connect the geothermal power plant in Laudat to the hydroelectric power plants in the Roseau Valley and DOMLEC’s substation at Fond Cole for distribution to electricity consumers.

“We are making this investment to ensure that we not only have a system that is efficient to carry the power from the Roseau Valley, but it will be an opportunity to start building that kind of smart grid that if we determine eventually that we want intermittent sources we would be in a better position, because we will have a modern system,” Energy Minister Dr. Vince Henderson said. “We are doing this to ensure that we can make electricity cheaper for our people, we can build a system that is more resilient to the impact of climate change and overall to look at the benefit that goes beyond energy, but goes into development, growth and further the wider economy.”

He stated that the investment the government is making now of EC$103 million for that transmission system will put the country in a position for future growth.

“So, when we expand geothermal capacity in the Roseau Valley, we do not have to build another transmission plant…,” Dr. Henderson noted. “If you have to calculate it annually it’s really not much.”

He went on to state that the government has 40 years to repay.

“Ten years grace period, you don’t pay anything…and then we start paying for 30 years,” he revealed. “It’s not usual to get that kind of 40-year period from the World Bank and it is because of Dominica’s position, its relationship, its standing with the World Bank that we are able to attract those terms.”

Parliament was adjourned “Sine Die”.