Dominica geothermal power plant to be completed by December 2025: PM Skerrit

In a significant update on Dominica’s geothermal energy extraction plan, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, said the plant located in Laudat in Roseau Valley is set to be completed in December this year. The plant will have the capacity to produce 10 MW of power. 

In a Facebook post, he said work is progressing fast on the condensers, which cool and covert the working fluid vapour back to liquid phase as well as the Ormat Energy Converters (OECs). The PM added that the converters will include turbines, heat exchangers and electrical generators to produce electricity from geothermal energy. 

Emphasising on the advantage of the natural heat energy, PM Skerrit said, “The plant will provide clean, renewable energy to the DOMLEC electricity grid through a new transmission network, leading to lower electricity rates for consumers.”

Like many other countries in the Caribbean which are desperately seeking to reduce their dependence on fossil energy which makes their electricity expensive and makes them vulnerable to global uncertainties and shocks, Dominica has also been trying to realize the natural source.

In one of his government’s town halls held earlier this year, Roosevelt put a special emphasis on the importance of geothermal energy. He said the government has to take up the main responsibility in such ventures as no private sector will engage in initial exploration. He said many countries in the world refuse to get into such exploration because of high expenses and prioritize other infrastructural projects instead with the funds available. But Dominica stood firm to explore the geothermal energy. 

PM Skerrit in his latest post shared aerial photographs showing construction work underway at the power plant. The work follows the site preparation which was reported in late 2024. The pictures also showed components of the OECs on the site. 

Plans for a geothermal power plant in Dominica had been announced in 2009 with the initial drilling planned to be completed by 2012. Drilling and testing of the production and reinjection wells have been completed as part of the preparatory stage. The project has gone through years of funding applications and planned partnerships since then before Dominica inked an agreement with the US’s Ormat Technologies in 2023 to finance, construct, operate and maintain the plant. 

Recently, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) approved nearly US$35 million loan to fund the plant’s construction. The Dominica Geothermal Development Company (DGDC) represents the government in the public-private partnership for the project (with Ormat) located close to the capital city of Roseau on the island-nation’s southwest coast. The DGDC was set by the Dominican government in 2016 to spearhead all activities related to geothermal exploration in the country.

The US-based AMALA Clean Energy Advisors, together with GeothermEx and POWER Engineers, contributed as the Lender Technical Advisor (LTA) to carry out the due diligence for the project and informed the CDB decision taken in December 2024.

The CDB’s loan is from its GeoSmart Initiative, which seeks to back Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) nations with geothermal potential in developing projects with monetary and technical assistance. The loan funding covers more than half of the total project costs of approximately $68 million.

Therese Turner-Jones, the CDB’s Vice President of Operations said the plant will go a long way in helping Dominica achieve its sustainable energy goals and transition from fossil fuel-based electricity generation to entirely renewable sources. 

Countries like India have also made contributions towards the plant’s development. In November last year, Dominica’s Energy Minister Vince Henderson said a construction firm from India visited the island for the construction work of the transmission network.

How the plant will help Dominica

Currently Dominica, like other Caribbean islands, imports majority of its energy, mainly in the form of fossil fuels and almost three-quarters of the country’s electricity is diesel-generated.

Dominica, like many other eastern Caribbean island-nations, has huge geothermal energy potential linked to its volcanic origin. Estimates suggest that the country’s geothermal potential could supply electricity up to 50 times the current peak demand (including households and businesses) of around 18MW.

It will not only reduce the cost of producing electricity in the country but also curb the sector’s carbon emissions. Currently, nearly three-quarters of Dominica’s electricity is generated by diesel since it is predominantly dependent on fossil fuels. By being self-reliant in energy production, Dominica will also strengthen its energy security. 

Dominica has also engaged with a firm in Trinidad and Tobago to take up pre-feasibility study to produce green ammonia using geothermal energy. 

Dominica reaffirms commitment to natural energy on International Day of Clean Energy

On January 26, 2025, which is observed as the International Day of Clean Energy, Discover Dominica Authority (DDA) reiterated the country’s commitment to a sustainable future. 

In a post on its Facebook account, the agency stressed the upcoming geothermal plant to say, “Our new geothermal plant will harness the Earth’s natural power, providing clean, renewable energy for generations to come. Join us in protecting our beautiful island and promoting a greener world!”

On the International Day of Clean Energy last year, the World Bank approved a project to support Dominica in developing clean, sustainable and low-cost energy.

The project worth $3

8.5 million will see the construction of a strong transmission network which will be able to withstand natural hazards, improving the electricity grid of Dominica which claims itself to be the world’s first climate-resilient nation. 

Dominica’s vulnerability to natural disasters such as cyclones makes a sustainable and resilient infrastructure all the more important for it, particularly in areas such as energy generation. The energy infrastructure of the country is also largely outdated which results in high expenses, hurting the competitiveness of its energy sector.