St Kitts and Nevis: Energy Minister Konris Maynard ensures betterment of resilient energy sector in nation

St Kitts and Nevis: The Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Dr Joyelle Clarke and Minister of Energy and Utilities, Konris Maynard, met with several stakeholders on October 23 2022 (Sunday) and discussed various proposals. The meeting also witnessed interactions for short, medium, as well as long-term actions that are necessary for a resilient energy sector in the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis.

The meeting was also attended by the Head of Technical Programmes at the Caribbean CCREEE – Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Dr Devon Gardner; Joseph Williams – Sustainable Energy Adviser at the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank), Sharon Rattan, Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Environment and Climate Action Ministry; Project Manager for Geothermal Project on Nevis – Naftalie Errar; Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Energy and Utilities Ministry Daryl Lloyd; Clement Jomo Williams, General Manager at SKELEC; Ian Ward, Chief Engineer at NEVLEC and Albert Gordon, General Manager at NEVLEC.

The ideas discussed are meant to help the Cabinet make decisions as it works to choose the best energy future and energy mix for the Federation. They talked about connecting the electricity grids in St Kitts and Nevis at the discussion with NEVLEC to allow the Federation to have just one system, boosting the reliability of the power supply on the two islands.

On Monday, October 17, at the Prime Minister’s Press Conference, Konris Maynard discussed the cooperation between NEVLEC and SKELEC.

“We are investigating the several opportunities that geothermal energy offers. We have met with NEVLEC authorities at least twice now, and we are now at the stage where a test well will be conducted to determine the sustainability of the geothermal reservoir that is present. The current assumption is that Nevis’ geothermal wells will first produce enough energy to support both Nevis and St Kitts. Therefore, they are working with SKELEC to figure out how to combine both of our grids into one grid for St Kitts and Nevis,” stated the minister.

This would mean that as St Kitts expands its power generation capacity driven by renewable energy sources, Nevis will be benefitted. Similarly, as Nevis’ power supply expands to include renewable energy, St Kitts will be benefitted.

Konris Maynard added, “A sustainable energy mix made up of solar, wind, geothermal, and other sources surely have a bright future, and we are working to make it a reality.” Konris Maynard also stated that “we must imagine and explore new possibilities.”

“If the geothermal collaboration between NEVLEC and SKELEC’s initial exploration goes as planned—and from what I understand, the likelihood of success will be 90 percent—then we must consider the real options for moving forward, using St Kitts and Nevis as a hub to connect to other islands,” he mentioned.