BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Wednesday May 11, 2016 – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris is calling on regional stakeholders to continue efforts to reform energy production and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels. That was his key message as he delivered the feature address at yesterday’s opening of a Regional Geothermal Forum at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, which is being held under the theme “Opportunities and Synergies for Collaboration” and attended by government and other stakeholders across the Caribbean region.
“I call on all of us and in particular the participants at this forum, to maintain a purposeful stance towards achieving energy security and energy independence for the Caribbean,” Dr. Harris told delegates attending the three-day conference. He highlighted last week’s U.S.-Caribbean-Central American Energy Summit held in Washington D.C. as well as the recent Report from the Task Force on U.S., Caribbean and Central American Energy Security and urged forward movement in the creation of a framework on the region’s geothermal strategy.
St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris “Successful geothermal development can positively impact energy security within the Eastern Caribbean Community, indeed within the wider Caribbean Community,” he said. “I challenge you to make this event, which connects geothermal decision-makers and developers with key international experts, a watershed for a transformed energy future that delivers affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy to the citizens of the Caribbean region.”
St. Kitts and Nevis has had some success with geothermal exploration and is in the advanced stages of tapping into that energy source. The construction of a geothermal power plant in Nevis is likely to be the next step in the decade-long project while authorities on St. Kitts has established a public-private partnership with TERANOV, a Guadeloupe-based company, to examine the technical feasibility and economic viability.
Prime Minister Harris saluted the U.S. Department of State for the technical assistance it has provided on the project, including attracting private investment, facilitating renewable energy integration and developing the regulatory sector.