Dominica: The Federation has signed a contract for the construction of the new electricity transmission network. The country is set to complete its first geothermal power plant by December 2025, which is supported by US $38.9 million in collaboration with India’s Kalpataru Project. 

Reportedly, the system will comprise of transmission lines and substations which ensures that the country can connect to Hydro Power and Geothermal Power to the Centre of Control of DOMLEC (Dominica Electricity Services Limited). 

Prime Minister Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit delivered a speech on the groundbreaking ceremony of the power plant on Friday, October 18, 2024. In his speech he considered the advantages of the green energy and geothermal power plant which is under construction in Dominica. 

PM Skerrit announced that the nation is in the final phases of the completion of the 10-megawatt geothermal power plant and called it a long and important journey. 

In his speech, he mainly talked about the resilience journey of the country and noted that Dominica is leading its way in advancing the renewable energy in the Caribbean and in Western Hemisphere. The country is specifically known for its resilience agenda and they will be considered in the conferences such as COP by many international organization for the manner in which the country has responded to natural disasters. 

Referring to geothermal as a crucial plant for Dominica – PM Roosevelt Skerrit added that the countries with the tourism and countries that are manufacturing, are doing extremely well than the countries where energy is available at reasonable price, especially when there is a competition with the global world. 

Notably, to ensure the cost of energy that makes sense to an investor within the tourism and manufacturing enterprises there is a need of the cheaper energy and particularly a place where people pay way too much for electricity. 

PM Skerrit explained that Dominica has paid way too much just because they import diesel to supply and one will always import the inflation, will import the cost and cost has to be passed on to the consumers, as the government cannot subsidize it all of the time and never a private company would like DOMLEC will do. 

Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has further outlined the cruise lines and cargo boats that have also began looking for the ways of reducing the carbon footprint. He said that the cruise lines are approaching international bodies to implement the notion of not using their generators, when they are on shore and connect to the national grid. 

Skerrit mentioned that the grid will provide a supply of renewable energy that will account for their reduction in the carbon footprint and therefore the investments must take those things into consideration. 

Furthermore, he considered the ways of generating the revenue through these cruise lines and noted that one carnival cruise ship will consume about 10 MW of electricity and if this is for an entire day, then it will generate a huge revenue for Dominica, especially for DOMLEC.