St. Lucia geothermal project in public consultation phase

St. Lucia’s geothermal project is engaging stakeholders as they prepare for exploratory drilling; important, as past geothermal activities left a bad impression for St. Lucians. Last week the government held a public consultation bringing together stakeholders including private consultants and the World Bank to discuss the project and plans for future exploration. Project leaders brought assurance of safety regulations and precautions to prevent a blow out that happened thirty years ago during exploratory drilling. World Bank regulations will prevent noise pollution and sustain human and social rights, and keep international standards of air and water quality. It was also constantly mentioned that the last project was handled “by the British” as opposed to the World Bank this time around. The energy officer in the Department of Sustainable Development, Charlin Bodley, gave an overview of the potential for geothermal energy in St. Lucia, and help the public understand how it can contribute to local development. Only exploration work is planned for the moment. There are three areas identified for potential development, Fond St Jaques, Belle Plaine and Mondesir-Saltibus. The plan is to drill three slim-hole wells at a cost of around $2.2 million per well. There are further community meetings planned to inform on next steps along the project development.

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