Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/5769/-1/140/
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Geothermal Energy Proposal Provide All The Energy For Anguilla
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Geothermal energy has been proposed throughout the past decades in the Caribbean as this area of the world is known as a hot bed of volcanic activity. Yet, because of intense scrutiny, false promises and a lack of impetus, the geothermal projects have never come to fruition.
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Mr. McDonald explains the details of his operation
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“Geo” meaning earth and “thermal” meaning energy, is quite a simple concept. It is a way to derive energy from the earth’s heat vents thousands of feet below the surface. With intense drilling, engineers can eventually produce extremely strong geysers that can in turn provide energy for power plants. Many developed countries around the world tap into this power and it provides a completely environmentally safe means to bring energy to people.
CEO of the West Indies Power Company, Kerry McDonald, was invited by environmental officials to Anguilla to give a presentation of his company’s current work in Nevis and Saba and to provide information on how Anguilla can drastically reduce the need for petroleum powered electricity. At a presentation made at Paradise Cove on Monday, March 17, Mr. McDonald illustrated to the attendees what his company could offer. Based on a proposed plan, by 2010, Nevis will be the first island in the world powered entirely by geothermal energy but there will be a large surplus of power that can be sent to neighbouring islands as well. Already there have been requests by the BVI, USVI and St. Martin/Maarten to receive as many megawatts (MW) as possible. Mr. McDonald explained that he will most likely be able to produce in excess of 600 MW of power from just Nevis alone and there are plans in place to begin drilling in Saba as well to generate more energy. Anguilla, as explained by Mr. Neil McConnie of ANGLEC, currently uses only 14 MW of power. Mr. McDonald explained that by placing an inverter in St. Martin, his company would be able to supply Anguilla with 15 MW, more than enough to power the entire island.
By powering Anguilla using geothermal energy, it would drastically reduce the costs for consumers as diesel fuel would be removed from the equation. The offer made to Anguilla by Mr. McDonald was quite simple and straight forward: “Anguilla has to make a quick decision. We are not asking for anything up front. We just need a commitment that states that if we are able to tap into the power and provide to Anguilla, you have to take it.” It was explained that West Indies Power would provide power to a connection point provided by ANGLEC. Therefore, ANGLEC in essence bears the responsibility in making a decision on whether to strike a deal with WIP. It was not made clear to the attendees how much savings would occur for consumers in Anguilla but Mr. McDonald did explain that his company would charge USD ˘0.12 per kilowatt hour (There are 1000 kilowatts in one megawatt.)
One member of the public asked what the downside would be to this type of energy to which Mr. McDonald replied that the only issue is that the heated water used for generating the power must be replenished, otherwise there are no risks involved. The only high ranking members of Government attending the presentation were The Hon. Speaker of the House Mr. David Carty and Permanent Secretary of Education and Social Development Mr. Rodney Rey. Some members of the crowd were quite sceptical of this type of energy as one person was heard saying, “Sounds too good to be true.” Mr. McDonald virtually explained that if Anguilla wants this power, they must respond very quickly as his company operates on a first come first serve basis. When asked the time frame to make a decision, he explained the sooner the better but preferably within the next two months.
Manager of ANGLEC, Mr. Neil McConnie, made an official statement in which he said, “Geothermal energy has been around for a long time and we know that it works. We have seen it in Guadeloupe where it has worked satisfactorily. What Mr. McDonald is doing in Nevis is feasible technically, but one has to be very circumspect in terms of a purchase agreement and we will look into it with a degree of thoroughness which is required in cases such as these.”
-Jason Allen