Two geothermal companies to visit SVG next week

Representatives from two international geothermal companies are expected in the state next week to have discussions pertaining to the extraction and use of geothermal energy here.{{more}}

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves on Monday, during a press briefing, announced that representatives from Emera, a geothermal company based in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Reykjavik Geothermal of Iceland, are expected in the state and will meet with permanent secretary Godfred Pompey.

This is a follow up to the initial talks between both parties which took place earlier this year, while the prime minister was attending the United Nations meeting in New York, he said.

He explained that both companies are reputable ones, saying that Reykjavik has been supplying geothermal energy in Iceland for years, and Emera, though based in North America, is a key player in the region’s energy market, with significant holdings in the Barbados and Bahamian energy companies.

A team from the Clinton Global Initiative is also expected to arrive in the state, Gonsalves said.

“We need technical help and the Clinton Global Initiative, they have access to the kind of help,” the prime minister said.

He added that there are some resources available in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which will be added to some private sector entities, to provide funding for the project.

The drafting of a legal document has also been commissioned and the draft is expected to be presented soon, Gonsalves said.

“We could have gone and borrowed a piece of legislative work somewhere, but we have a consultant who is working alongside ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) and she should be coming with a draft bill,” he explained.

The prime minister did not give a date when geothermal energy would be made available in the country.

“I am not telling you that we will be exploiting geothermal energy next year, but this is a game changer,” Gonsalves said.

He also explained that the technology was available here, as was evident in the geological surveys.

It was discovered that the leeward portion of La Soufriere volcano is a known hot spot, but the prime minister said that it will cost a lot to drill and provide the necessary infrastructure required for the project. (DD)