Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 22, 2023 (SKNIS): In a landmark move towards sustainable energy independence, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has given its full backing to the establishment of a geothermal energy facility within the Federation. This decision, rooted in comprehensive assessments, underscores the government’s recognition of geothermal energy as a key resource in achieving long-term energy security for the nation.
On November 20, the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, presented a Resolution titled ‘Resolution of the National Assembly of St. Christopher and Nevis on Geothermal Energy’. This Resolution received unanimous support from the Federal Parliament.
The resolution is a collaborative pursuit by the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration. This project will enhance the Federation’s energy resilience and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.
While supporting the Resolution, the Minister of Public Infrastructure, Honourable Konris Maynard, stated: “One thing that is now seemingly undeniable is that the resource is there and estimates say that we have close to a gigawatt of potential.”
The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis peaks at around 36 megawatts of power with 27 in St. Kitts and 9 in Nevis. With the potential of the geothermal plant being over 1000 megawatts of power, it is 20 times the capacity of the Federation, said Minister Maynard.
He said, with this capacity, the Federation can turn this energy into a sector by providing power to neighbouring islands such as Puerto Rico, St. Maarten and Antigua via underwater lines.
The honorable minister stated that St. Kitts and Nevis has the capability to transform energy into a portable form, such as hydrogen, which introduces the concept of green molecules.
“If we explored the energy reserves that we have, then St. Kitts and Nevis can become energy independent, meaning that if a war breaks out in Ukraine between Ukraine and Russia, then our prices here are unaffected,” said the honorable minister.“This is something we should take seriously and as a Federation we can and so I want to commend this parliament for taking up this resolution, I want to commend the cabinet for supporting this initiative and I want to commend the Prime Minister.”
“In this Honorable House, we want to show the world that this is a national attempt at bringing about national security and we will go to whatever lengths are possible to ensure that we see the day that we have geothermal power,” said the Honorable Minister.
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