Dominica: Dominica Minister of Foreign Affairs, energy and trade, Dr Vince Henderson, addressed the participants at the opening ceremony of the Geothermal Global Partners Conference.
The Conference was held on October 10, 2023, in Dominica with active partnerships of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United States Department of State and the United Nations.
During his address, Dr Vince Henderson said, “We have brought together the International government and non-government agencies to discuss how they can help to develop the renewable energy sector of Dominica.”
Further, Henderson continued by saying, “Our partners will also provide us with technical support as they have expertise in the energy and geothermal energy sectors.”
He highlighted that his government is committed to seeing the project to its competition. He also said that the construction process will soon going to start.
He also shared details in which he mentioned the work of drilling the well, testing the resources of construction, and the design and development parameters of the plant.
Dr Vince Henderson also revealed that energy sector-related projects need a huge investment of about $60 million in the country.
He also added that the government had struck a deal with the developer, and all the partner developers are ready to start work per the terms and conditions of the government plans and sanctioned budget limits.
“We are doing our best to seek the assistance of partners like the Caribbean Development Bank, who will be here on the island nation to assist in construction projects,” added Henderson.
Dr. Henderson also apologized, on behalf of the Dominican government, for the delay in the construction of the geothermal power plant.
“We apologize to the Dominican people for having taken so long time, and since we have taken so long, some of the situations we have with power outages… it falls heavily on our shoulders because we have been pushing this for over a decade,” he stated.
“The average time taken by a geothermal project from beginning to finish is about 7 to 10 years,” he explained. “Furthermore, he pointed out that the good thing about geothermal projects is that “once you get it right, you will have it for another five to six decades.”
Dr Vince Henderson also said the government will ensure that it doesn’t have to depend on importing fossil fuels. We are looking at an investment to provide 24/7 power for our country.”
He also said that they are aiming to complete these projects by 2025. While concluding his address, Dr. Vince Henderson expressed his gratitude to all the dignitaries and attendees of the Conference.