Geothermal opportunities In St. Lucia
Since the 1950s, government officials on St. Lucia, a beautiful volcanic island at the southern end of the Eastern Caribbean, have entertained prospects of developing geothermal power. After years of study jointly funded by St. Lucia, USAID, and UNRFNRE (United Nations Revolving Fund for Natural Resources Exploration) in the first half of this decade, a promising 4,636 foot deep exploratory well, SL-2 at Sulfur Springs, was completed in February 1988. Preliminary indications suggest that well could produce about 5 MW of power, though progress to develop the resource appears stalled. Growth has strained the capacity of growing, St. Lucia Electricity Services (LUCELEC), which controls electrical power generation and distribution on the island. Government planners realize that expanding their electric power infrastructure is a necessary prerequisite for continued economic development on this island of 238 square miles and consequently view geothermal for the island's baseload demand with diesel handling peaking requirements. As approved investment proposals fuel economic development, they expect energy demand to rise.
- OSTI ID:
- 7039809
- Journal Information:
- Independent Energy; (USA), Vol. 19:8; ISSN 1043-7320
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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