The St. Kitts-Nevis government has announced plans for a geothermal project aimed at pushing forward the twin-island federation’s energy security agenda.
Environment and Climate Action Minister, Dr. Joyelle Clarke, says the ministries of energy and the environment partnered on the geothermal project.
“We are working together to create what we call energy security for St. Kitts and Nevis and also to confirm our renewable energy mix and I am very clear about that. We cannot transition to solar energy alone, we cannot transition to geothermal energy alone, but we must use a mix of renewable energy sources,” Clarke said.
Clarke said the government, has since engaged the Belize-based Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) and the Barbados-based Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), and representatives of the two regional organizations are to meet soon with the Cabinet and relevant stakeholders.
Clarke said they will make a presentation on “the renewable energy mix for St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as Sustainable Island State Initiative, which is the Prime Minister, (Dr. Terrance Drew’s) main thrust.”
She noted that the geothermal project with Nevis is particularly important for various reasons.
“Whatever resources are available in Nevis will be part of our Federal resources. We have to ensure that that partnership remains steady, that St. Kitts and Nevis is seen as one Federal state, one nation when it comes to geothermal. It will benefit not just St. Kitts and Nevis, but the wider Caribbean and it is going to be a critical part of our renewable energy mix,” said Clarke.
Energy Minister, Konris Maynard, says the partnership will be fruitful.
“We are very pleased to be partnering in our thrust to bring a renewable energy sector to St. Kitts and Nevis and that includes exploring the vast possibilities with geothermal. At this point, the thinking is that Nevis’ geothermal wells will have enough energy in the first instance to support not only Nevis but Nevis and St. Kitts,” said Maynard.
He said the federation is now in the “transitionary phase of moving from total dependence on fossil fuels to exploring all of the different mixes of renewable energy.
CMC/
