Dominica’s Geothermal Power Plant on track for year-end completion: PM Skerrit

Dominica: Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, through an official Facebook post, revealed that Dominica’s Geothermal Power Plant located in Laudat in the Roseau Valley is on schedule for completion in December 2025.  

He said that the plant will provide clean and renewable energy to the DOMLEC electricity grid through a transmission network which will lead to lower electricity rates for consumers.  

While sharing the glimpses of the construction process on the plant, PM Skerrit said, “Work is progressing rapidly on the condensers, which cool and convert the working fluid vapour back to liquid phase as well as the Ormat Energy Converters (OECs). These converters will comprise the turbines, heat exchangers and electrical generators to transform geothermal heat into electricity.” 

Earlier this month, Dominica received major equipment for constructing the geothermal power plant in Laudat and this marked the second major shipment of geothermal equipment to arrive on island which includes heat exchangers and turbines.  

The funding for this 10 MW geothermal Power Plant project was approved last year by the Caribbean Development Bank amounting to $34.8 million dollars. This project is aimed at boosting the energy security of Dominica and reduce its electricity production costs along with the sector’s carbon emissions.  

As of now, Dominica imports the majority of its energy, particularly in the form of fossil fuels and almost three-quarters of the island’s electricity is diesel-generated.  

The journey towards this project kickstarted in 2023 as the Government of Dominica signed an official agreement with Ormat Technologies Inc which required Ormat finance the construction of this project as well as operate and maintain it, including a 25-year power purchase agreement with DOMLEC – Dominica Electricity Services.  

Subsequently site preparations have been underway since then on the site which is now anticipated to be completed by year end. Other works also underway at various stages of development including the construction of 8 km of 33kv and 43.5km of 69 kv transmission networks, five new substations as well as two battery energy storage systems.