St. Lucia may soon be able to generate half of its energy needs through a geothermal plant officials would like to build on the Soufriere Hills volcano.
The country hopes to produce at least 20 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020.
This month, the government began a series of aerial and ground surveys funded through a partnership between the governments of St. Lucia and New Zealand, according to the website Caribbean Journal.
Last year, New Zealand and the World Bank gave a $2.8 million grant to the country to explore the feasibility of geothermal and wean the island away from costly imported fossil fuels.
The research efforts include “aeromagnetic surveys” performed via helicopter that aimed to detect faults in the earth’s surface that would be well suited to place geothermal sites.
According to a 2006 report funded by the Organisation of American States, British scientists began exploring the island’s geothermal potential in the 1970s, but to date no major developments have occurred.
See the April 23, 2015 edition for full coverage.
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