By Steve Thomas
Observer Nevis Editor
(Spring Hill, Nevis) Ð Geothermal energy is poised to give Nevis plenty of electricity, but is about to another kind of boost as well: More jobs.
West Indies Power Nevis Limited recently reached a milestone in drilling for a geothermal energy source. The firm reached a geothermal reservoir at 3,700 feet and steam is coming out of the ground at Nevis Site 1 in Spring Hill.
During a meeting with Nevis Island Administration officials earlier this, Mr. Kerry McDonald, Chief Executive Officer of WIP, said the work on a geothermal energy plant was going to translate into temporary and permanent jobs in the coming months.
“The Industrial Company, which is the largest geothermal plant builder in the world, has advised us that basically they will be bringing 80 specialists to Nevis, starting in September/October and they will be employing roughly 60 Nevisians on the project.
They will be also setting up an apprentice programme so that we can get people trained to work in the plant that’s being built and that will basically take us one year,” Mr. McDonald said.
All kinds of specialists will be needed for the construction project, Mr. McDonald said, including plumbers and electricians.
After the plant is running, there will be more opportunities.
ÒThe plant will probably create about 35 permanent jobs,Ó he said.
Mr. McDonald described the power generating potential of Nevis Site 1.
“Right now we feel we’ve got about enough reserve…at the reservoir right here at Nevis 1, for 150 megawatts of power and we’ve got plenty of interest in buying it,” Mr. McDonald said.
Nevis uses about 10 megawatts/hour during peak times. Combined, Nevis and St. Kitts use about 45 megawatts.
NIA Premier the Hon. Joseph Parry visited the site.
“I was extremely excited because that’s the news I was waiting for. Once I knew that, I know that for the next five to10 years we are going to really have the revolution in Nevis that we anticipated months ago. People will not believe in the next five years how Nevis has changed and it is just all due to what is happening right here at Spring Hill at the moment,” Mr. Parry said.
Junior Minister of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment, the Hon. Carlisle Powell, discussed the administrative side of the development.
“Our next moves include negotiating the Power Purchase Agreement with West Indies Power Limited but before that, the presentation of the draft Geothermal Bill in the House of Parliament in Nevis. [We would] have that passed to make sure that there is a bill to look after renewable energy on Nevis and that we have the wherewithal to go forward and negotiate the Power Purchase Agreement,” Mr. Powell said.
He outlined the negotiating pattern that would be followed.
“We again will have the resources of the Organization of American States and we have had the resources of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation as well with us and Mr. Kerry and Mr. Isaac will have their own negotiating team, but we expect that we will conclude the agreements in a very timely and a very amicable manner,” Mr. Powell said.
