An economy that is powered by renewables, resulting in reduced energy costs and carbon emissions, while simultaneously creating jobs, is one of the cornerstones of the economy of a dynamic Dominica.
This statement from Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit as he announced during his presentation of the 2021-2022 National Budget on Wednesday that work on the Geothermal Development Project in the Roseau Valley had accelerated over the past year.
“Construction of two additional wells in Laudat has started,” Skerrit stated.
He said with the financial and technical support of the World Bank, his government recently conducted five (5) procurements, valued at over US $13 million (XCD35.1 million), associated with the drilling of these wells.
“This includes the civil works for access roads and well pads, for which a contract of $ 9 million was awarded to ACE Engineering Ltd., in May 2021,” the Prime Minister explained. “We are also at an advanced stage for the selection of an Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor, to build the 10 MW plant.”
He said the government expects to conclude negotiations by the end of September, and soon thereafter, to issue a notice to proceed with construction of the power plant.
“Construction time is expected to be 18 months from issuing the notice to proceed,” he revealed.
According to the Prime Minister, the transfer of power from the geothermal power plant in Laudat to the main load centres in Fond Cole and Sugar Loaf, will require higher voltage transmission lines and the government is working closely with DOMLEC and the Independent Regulatory Commission to develop this new network.
He said the new transmission lines will also contribute to a more resilient electricity network, by providing redundancy for transmitting power from the existing hydro stations in the Roseau Valley.
“The progress which we are making on this project would not be possible without the support and cooperation of the people of the Roseau Valley, as well as the World Bank and many friendly governments, and we are very appreciative of this,” the Prime Minister stated.
Meanwhile, he said the government is making major investments to facilitate the transformation of the tourism sector and is approaching tourism development from all angles.
Furthermore, he said, Dominica has been singled out by the cruise lines as one of the countries in the Caribbean with the best quality road network.
“This signifies the tremendous efforts by this Government to upgrade roads throughout the country. And this year, we will begin the reconstruction of the Layou Valley Road and accelerate work on the East Coast Road—both are arteries to major tourism sites,” the Prime Minister noted.
He mentioned the Roseau Enhancement Project as one of the avenues that the government is pursuing to increase opportunities for visitors to spend more in Dominica.
“We are transforming Roseau into a modern attractive shopping, hospitality, and entertainment centre, with amenities which will allow visitors to enjoy day and night life, thereby creating business opportunities for our people,” Skerrit stated.
The government is also pursuing the upgrading of Dominica’s sites and attractions to make them more appealing and accessible to visitors and according to the Prime Minister, in this financial year, there will be substantial improvements to some of the country’s most visited sites and attractions such as Champagne Beach, Scotts Head, Indian River, Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool, Wotten Waven and others.
The government’s plans also include a complete audit and redesign of the Waitukubuli National Trail will be undertaken, to allow for its full rehabilitation and reconstruction.
“Our trails and sites are the basis for the unique appeal of Dominica. As such, it is important to continue to take bold steps towards management, preservation, sustainability, marketing and monetizing of these assets,” the Prime minister said. “We recognize that [the] government’s investments in these tourism assets will be more meaningful with the participation of all key stakeholders.”
The establishment of one legal authority to oversee all aspects of trails and sites in Dominica and to coordinate their development, maintenance, financial management and conservation is also on the cards according to the Prime Minister.
He also believes that the three 5-star hotels now operating in the island and the ongoing construction of another three, will substantially increase the number of export-ready rooms available on the island and be an impetus for attracting more visitors, and more business to Dominica as well as encourage a vibrant staycation culture.
“By 2023, an additional 498 rooms will become available,” Skerrit stated. “This is a massive achievement in a short space of time for a small country like Dominica.”
Skerrit is also proposing that “the tremendous investments towards increasing productivity of the agricultural sector” will reinforce the backward and forward linkages between tourism and agriculture.
“Farmers and fisherfolk can rely on the tourism sector for a constant and secure market and hoteliers can assure guests that their food is grown locally,” he said. “We are currently propagating and producing a number of crops, livestock and sea foods to supply the major hotels. As we expand the agricultural sector, there is no doubt that we will be able to fully supply all of the hotels with fresh products.”
Roosevelt I am on your case tonight!
I know that you are the only person in the Eastern Caribbean with two fire places in your in your house, in a place like Dominica where the temperature ranges between 70- 95 degrees year round.
Now I am seeing you in a three peace suit in Dominica, where it is so hot and humid?
I reside in the United Stats; in the state of California. In America, it usually go from one extreme to another, very hot or very cold.
I do not have a fireplace in my house, very few houses in California have fireplace, we have central heat and air.
In the winter time very few people dressed in three piece: Coat, Vest shirt and tie. Something might be medically wrong with you if you are so cold in Dominica heat and humidity!
Sometimes a certain man gets small in size, another time he looks bloated.
Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland, located in the neck, produces too little thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone regulates our metabolism.
So too little hormone slows the metabolism and often causes weight gain.
No name no warrant; no police can come an take me eh!
Okay so here is Roosevelt babbling about digging more wells to produce geothermal energy, for more than ten or twenty years, that little corrupted rat talking about he building geothermal energy plant to sell electricity to Guadeloupe and Martinique.
The situation is both Guadeloupe and Martinique produces geothermal energy, now if after ten or twenty years of construction: (him dat corrupted crook) cannot produce one (1) Watt of electricity, from a single well, what’s the purpose of digging more wells?
One day he claim that he sign contract to Build International Airport, next day the corrupted crook said it…
The End!
One day he claim that he sign contract to Build International Airport, next day the corrupted crook said it it is not a contract to build the Airport; it is an agreement.
How do we define Agreement?
And what is the definition of the term contract?
We’ve heard it all before but I do hope after Domlec pays back the world bank loan(which that predator only gives to governments) they took for Hurricane repairs that they will lower our bills. A geo plant will cut generation costs significantly but it may be a while before we see a reduction. But that time to see the savings can also be cut significantly when the government buys this company back, or 52% as this PM has hinted. Seriously!
Skerrit (Dominica) we are all aware that you do read the comments from readers on this medium. Skerrit (Dominica) have you looked at your self in the mirrow or your darkest self of your shadow and ask yourself any question e.g why do people hate me? why am i so ugly? Am I doing justice to my my fellow Dominicans as their leader? Have I upheld the good dicipline that my mother instilled in me as a kid? Skerrit (Dominica) I sincerely urge you to look at yourself and ask some legitimate questions. Dont allow pride to fill your soul and perish far yonder. I know you as as a young and smart kid. You have for some reason(s) stretched your adulthood a lot to far and out of control. Rewind and come again. Please. Do not allow”TOO LATE TO BE YOUR CRY”. Peace
He has looked at himself in a mirror several times and the only four questions he asked himself was, Why is Peter, Peter Pan? Why has Peter not gotten to the top of the mountain like? Why is Peter a copy cat? Why is Peter not handsome like me?
this man speaks well, yet after over 10 years of trying to develop geothermal electricity, what will the cost be to we the consumers? this project must be way over its initial cost, what is the cost overrun on this project and how does this affect the cost at which we the consumers will be charged for the delivery of electricity derived from this source?
this government has repeatedly said consume local, yet local service such as architecture which would be the industry responsible for the designing of those site are not part of the development of our Dominica, so are local architects services not considered local? those representations which are being designed by foreigners does not represent our identity, our art form.
Sounds great. As/when implemented should give a significant boost to the economy
For 20 long years Rosevelt Skerrit is the Prime Minister of Dominica and my country Dominica is still behind God’s back.
Skerrit says so much and so much is achieve in a short space of time for a small country like Dominica. Is like Skerrit just came into office the last election held..
You hear lie, that is lie… Mr. King Liar.
How can Dominica be in front of God’s back when you are braindamage damaging everything the PM does to uplift Dominica. He is the King Liar and you are the Queen Liar. Ask Edison James what did he do when he was in office but dry up the coffers. Two wells are currently being built. One well is to drown the voices of the UWP.
Boy you ….., after 20 long years in office the lost of Ross University, the decimation of the economy and the private sector, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada have all pass Dominica in GDP per capita. If it’s a house you looking for or what ever you begging for just go talk to your palrep.
Yours truly has been blowing hot steam for 20 years and still no electricity, the man is full of hot steam that’s all.
SHOW PROOOOFF.. all this man doing is talking out his backside and nothing he says comes to fruition . These hotels he talking about standing there derelict … it just doesnt make sense to me that anyone can believe a word out of mister mouth
I have come to the conclusion that Dominicans love to listen to him stuttering and abuse the English language in general. What a clown.
This Future Tense maladministration promises are like vapor. They are intangible. To believe this megalomaniacal LIAR is to believe that one can walk between raindrops without getting wet
Just before the 2019 general election he ordered roads to be cordoned off and activated the dormant geothermal well bamboozling the gullible to think that this perennial promise would finally come to fruition. Unsurprisingly, it was just another hoax.
Here he comes again with his headline grabbing announcement to suck up all the oxygen in the news media. Like slave-Ike servants the local media houses just fall head over heels for it.
A perfect example is DNO. Read this article. There is no critical analysis of what Mr. Skerrit said. DNO just swallowed and regurgitated verbatim what the pathological spewed in parliament.
This kind of journalism doesn’t stimulate thinking. It’s like rote learning. This is the dumping down of journalism. This type of reporting is for the incurious.
I am sorry to say the man looks what he has become, a bloated windbag. And now he engineer for the leader of the opposition to be denied to answer to his budget presentation and question him and all because Lennox Linton was not there to listen to his budget yesterday when he himself was rude enough to never listen to Lennox Linton reply for at least the last five years. Man this is so petty of PM and I believe unconstitutional. And the speaker JI have no balls, having to say yes to everything Skerrit says. Man, you are a little boy then. May God have mercy on Dominica.
More money ‘invested in geothermal’ and still not an ounce of electricity generated. If this thing, and that is a BIG IF, ever produces electricity it will cost the customers twice as much as they pay at the moment. That’s Economics a la Skerrit. The other question, is our country ever gonna be able to pay back the debt that this Scharlatan burdened our country with? I doubt it, but HE will be living the live of a King in the UAE by then.
I can only hope that you will pay your electricity bill when it arrives.
At least I pay out of my own bank account. You, however, have to go begging to that gangster first for a few coins. There is a fitting description for the likes of you: Low Life
LIES, LIES and more LIES by a liar.
About EC$120 000 000.00 or more have been spent on Geothermal by this corrupt government. One has to ask what have been the result??? They said by 2018 everything would have been completed, and we would be paying next to nothing for electricity.To date we have nothing, but a rise in electricity bills $$$$$$. Heartless Skerrit is so embarrassed with himself you can see the anger, on his lying face. This DLP government does not love people..Those nobrainers poured all the country’s money into a failed project, and totally forgot exploring wind energy, solar energy and small hydro plants..
Its FAILURE after FAILURE!!!
LIES after LIES by a specialist LIER!!
You still getting vicarious pleasure out of watching and listening to Skerrit? That is not real love. That’s infatuation.