Although geothermal resources are abundant on several of the
islands, apart from Guadeloupe which has a 4.5 MWe binary
plant, geothermal development is still in the early stages for
several reasons:
- Geothermal development is not a priority in the energy policies
of the island governments. Traditionally, the islands have
depended on diesel generation, with the exceptions of
Dominica and St.Vincent which use hydroelectric power. - None of the countries have geothermal laws; many do not have
laws for the regulation of the electricity sector in particular. - Limited financing and the high cost of geothermal exploration
has held back the projects in the feasibility stage. - There are no economic incentives for geothermal development.
- The population, and consequently the markets, of the islands
are small.
Geothermal Energy Potential
Huttrer ranks the islands, in order of development potential, as follows:
- Guadeloupe
- St. Lucia
- Dominica
- St. Vincent
- Nevis
- Saba
- St. Kitts
- Grenada
- Martinique
- Montserrat
- Statia
Geothermal power could almost
surely be sold to the utilities for
less than the 12 -15¢/kWh cost of
generation now estimated by the
various utility companies, and the
prospect of initiating significant
savings is appealing to government
officials as well as the citizens-onthe-streets (Huttrer, 1998).
Dominica
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
• Dominica has an estimated 1,390 MWe of
geothermal power potential. Geothermal
development is important as a substitute for
diesel generation and to supply Dominica’s
increasing base load demand.
• The French institute of geological
investigations and mines, Bureau de
Recherches Géologiques et Minières
(BRGM), began the first integrated
exploration of Dominica’s geothermal
resources in 1977, identifying three areas of
interest: Watten Waven, Boiling Lake, and
Soufrière.
• 13th March 2008, Government launched a
250 Million Euro Geothermal Project titled
“Preparations of a geo-thermal based cross
border electrical interconnection in the
Caribbean.”
Grenada
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
•Grenada has an estimated 1,110 MWe of
geothermal power potential. OLADE
observed a possible resource of high
enthalpy in the area of Mount Saint
Catherine in 1981 which was later
confirmed in 1992 as part of the
UN/DTCD program.
•Prefeasibility studies have revealed one
small solfatara on Mount Saint Catherine,
several small thermal springs in ravines
radial to the central volcano, and numerous
relatively young phreatic explosion craters.
Additionally, the sub-sea volcano “Kickem-Jenny” lies only five miles off
Grenada’s north coast suggesting that the
zone between it and the central
northeastern part of the island may be of
geothermal interest.
Guadeloupe
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
•Guadeloupe has an estimated 3,500 MWe
of geothermal power potential.
Guadeloupe has the only geothermal
power plant in the Caribbean, a 4.5 MWe
double flash power plant at Bouillante
which came online in 1984 and supplies
the leeward coast of Basse-Terre with
electricity.
•The plant has been generating at an
average rate of 4.7 MWe. The Bouillante
plant had intermittent problems caused by
relatively high amounts of noncondensable gases and associated H2S04,
which seem to have been mitigated by
Compagnie Française de Géothermie
(CFG) (Huttrer, 1998).
•There are plans to expand the Bouillante
plant.
Martinique
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
•The very active Mt. Pele
comprises an obvious locus for
geothermal resources. There are
solfataras, hot springs,
underlying earthquake activity,
and well developed fracture
systems (Huttrer, 1998).
•Martinique has an estimated
3,500 MWe of geothermal
power potential.
•There are plans to set up a
geothermal plant in Martinique
(Lawrence, 1998).
Montserrat
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
•Montserrat has an estimated 940
MWe of geothermal power
potential.
•Even before the 1995 eruption,
the southwestern flank of the
Soufrière Hills Volcano was the
site of solfataric activity and of
numerous thermal springs.
•There was also significant
seismic activity, and several
well developed fracture systems
transecting the volcano (Huttrer,
1998.
Netherland Antilles
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
• The Netherlands Antilles have an
estimated 3,000 MWe of geothermal
power potential. Saba is a small island
comprising a central volcano with at least
15 andesitic domes on its flanks. There is a
record of volcanic eruption(s) less than
1000 years ago and there are numerous hot
springs along the shoreline and just off
shore.
• The island is highly fractured, some hot
springs temperatures have risen in the last
40 years. INEEL, GMC, and USGIC
prepared a preliminary assessment of the
potential for the development of
geothermal resources of Saba and Statia
under a DOE sponsored program.
• While some heat probably remains
beneath The Quill on Statia there are no
known hot springs or paleo-thermal
areas on the island (Huttrer, 1998).
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
•St. Kitts and Nevis have an estimated 50 MWe
of geothermal power potential. INEEL, GMC,
and USGIC prepared a preliminary assessment
of the potential for the development of
geothermal resources of St. Kitts and Nevis
under a DOE sponsored program.
•There are encouraging geothermal indicia at
five places on Nevis. On Nevis’s western and
southern sides there are two solfataras,
numerous thermal wells, and a large area of
hydrothermal alteration.
•On St. Kitts, though there are moderately large
areas of steaming ground in the crater of Mount
Liamuiga, as well as thermal springs along the
western shoreline, the geothermal indicia are
less well-defined than on the other islands
(Huttrer, 1998).
Saint Lucia
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
• St. Lucia has an estimated 680 MWe of geothermal power
potential.
• In the 1980s, Aquater (Italy), Los Alamos National
Laboratory (funded by USAID), and the UN Revolving Fund
for Natural Resources Exploration (UN/RFNR) conducted
prefeasibility studies which included drilling production-size
exploratory wells.
• The second of two wells drilled by a team led by Italian
geothermists found what appeared to be an economically
exploitable resource. Unfortunately, this well suffered
mechanical failures and the produced steam was never
harnessed to generate power.
• More recently, INEEL, GMC, and USGIC prepared a
preliminary assessment of the potential for the development
of geothermal resources of St. Lucia under a DOE sponsored
program.
• Geothermal indicia on St. Lucia comprise a very large
solfatara near the village of Soufrière, numerous thermal
springs, and very recent volcanic activity including both
phreatic and pyroclastic eruptions (Huttrer, 1998).
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Geothermal Sites / Projects:
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines have an estimated
890 MWe of geothermal power potential.
• St. Vincent’s geothermal potential has not been
formally studied. INEEL, GMC, and USGIC
prepared a preliminary assessment of the potential
for the development of geothermal resources of St.
Vincent under a DOE sponsored program.
• La Soufrière volcano has erupted three times since
1902, there is a steaming resurgent dome in the
crater and there are numerous hot springs in river
valleys on the western side of the volcano (Huttrer,
1998). Of additional interest are three striking
features near Wallibou Beach, in an area locally
known as “Hot Waters,” and a circular feature near
Morgans Wood near Trinity Falls (Huttrer, 1995).
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