St. Vincents & Grenadines officials reassure support of geothermal project
St. Vincent, Caribbean (source: flickr/ PlanetBarbados, creative commons)
Carlo Cariaga
9 Jan 2024
Despite challenges with limited permeability, government officials at St. Vincent & Grenadines continue with efforts to develop the geothermal power project.
Amidst talks of the termination of the geothermal project being developed in St. Vincent & the Grenadines in the Caribbean, the Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves told the Parliament that the government is currently in discussion with private entities who may use the site for power production/
The initial results of the geothermal drilling activities at the foot of the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines were promising, encountering temperatures of 250 °C at 2500 meter depth. A total of three wells were drilled for the project, with costs of over US$ 35 million since the start in 2012 – S$700k from the government, US$ 29 million in grant funding, and $7 million in funding from private equity.
However, very tight fractures in the development area limited the permeability for geothermal power production. Thus, the decision was made in early 2020 to either drill sidetrack wells or explore a closed-loop approach.
In early 2022, the government met with Canadian company Eavor Technologies to talk about the possible reviving of the island state’s geothermal power project. Eavor is currently drilling for the first commercial-scale deployment of the Eavor-Loop technology, an advanced closed-loop geothermal technology that harnesses heat regardless of permeability.
“Undoubtedly, the lack of permeability in the rock surrounding La Soufriere dealt a setback to our geothermal ambitions. But unlike some steeped in the ethos of learned helplessness, we do not accept setbacks as defeats,” assured Gonsalves.
Criticism of the project came after a budget of EC 120,000 (approx. USD 44,400) was allocated to the project for the year.
Gonsalves further states that the government has received a proposal from a private company for the deployment of a scalable, modular geothermal power production facility with 5-MW capacity within 24 months of activity. As for any further updates on the project, the Minister said that then government hopes to make an announcement in the first half of 2024.
Source: iWitness News SVG
