Dominicans can look forward to paying reduced electricity charges when the new geothermal plant launches in 2022. This assurance was given by Dominica’s ambassador to the United States and the OAS, Dr. Vince Henderson, who said electricity consumers will pay a significantly reduced tarrif than what they currently pay to DOMLEC.
“Direct benefits to Dominicans and consumers – clearly we will see a reduction in tariff,” Henderson revealed. “I hate to say how much, I don’t like to quantify these things because you never know until it’s done. But what we know for a fact is that it will cost us about half of what it costs DOMLEC to produce energy using diesel generators, so that already we know.”
While DOMLEC currently generates 26 megawatts of electricity with hydro and diesel, Henderson said the new geothermal plant will generate 120 megawatts of power when it goes operational – five times what DOMLEC produces. He noted that Dominica is able to produce commercial quantities of safe and clean electricity that can even be exported to neighbouring countries if the government desires.
The ambassador disclosed that the government has invested $25 million in the geothermal project and this covers land acquisition, land exploration, and construction of pipelines and other major equipment. He made it clear that while the government has invested a significant amount of money into the project, the government will still be receiving up to $25 million from partners and further loans from the World Bank, CDB, and the IADB. The government began work on the renewable energy plant in 2011 and drilling was completed in 2015. Henderson stated that DOMLEC will be on hand to manage the transmission of the generated power to consumers across Dominica without necessarily making a profit from the venture. He said maximizing the electricity from the plant will go a long way to positioning Dominica as the first country in the world to achieve climate-resilient energy.
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