BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MINISTER with Responsibility for the Energy Sector, Hon. Ian ‘Patches’ Liburd has informed that the Government is still in the process of finalizing the deal in relation to the Geothermal Project.
That project has been in the deal stages since 2016, after the Team Unity Government received positive feedbacks coming out of exploratory tests.
The tests confirmed that the Federation has good prospects for the alternative energy.
Speaking with SKNVibes at the end of the recent Basseterre High School press conference, Minister Liburd said: “We are still trying to finalize the Geothermal Agreement”, noting that a deal would bind the Government for 25 years.
In 2015, the Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with French engineering firm Teranov out of Guadeloupe.
“We have to ensure that all our T’s are crossed and our I’s are dotted. As a matter of fact, we have looked at the final input from the Legal Department and other stakeholders. We have also engaged the CARICOM Secretariat as well as engaged the Clinton Initiative to get some advice on that as well.”
The Minister stressed that the geothermal initiative is going according to schedule.
The Team Unity Administration, shortly after taking office in 2015, met a high energy bill with Petro Caribe and it had vowed to push wind and geothermal as part of its renewable energy initiative for the country.
SKNVibes understands that the company undertook studies in the Sandy Point and Mount Liamuiga areas.
In giving an update on the Wind Energy initiative, Liburd explained that they have not finalized the power purchase agreement and that it is still before the Legal Department.
