Geothermal Energy Archives - Page 20 of 21 - Nevis Island News and Notes

Nevis 1 Geothermal Drill Site

Charlestown, Nevis
July 14, 2008

Federal Minister with responsibility for Housing, Agriculture, Fisheries and Co-operatives Hon. Cedric Liburd, added to the praise showered on the Nevis Island Administration for its decision to explore the island’s geothermal resources, while he was on an official visit to Nevis on July 11, 2008.

The Minister, who was hosted by Hon Robelto Hector, got a first hand view of the ongoing geothermal explorations at Spring Hill and upper Jessups and registered his satisfaction with the project’s progress.

“I want to commend the NIA the government of Nevis for the work that is being done and I do hope that this project will now help us to combat the serious oil prices that we have in the world and more so that is affecting the small island states like St. Kitts and Nevis. I believe that this is what we need to do in order to challenge the people who own the oil and who are really causing serious problems throughout the world and therefore I want to commend the NIA and I am looking forward for the implementation of this project.

“I visited both sites for the geothermal and the work that is going on and I am really impressed and I am advised that the way things are going here that we can definitely see some movement and some completion and some way where St. Kitts and Nevis could be using geothermal during the year 2009 and I am really pleased with what is happening,” he said.

Nevis 1 Geothermal Drill Site

Charlestown, Nevis
July 08, 2008

Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Social Transformation Hon. Hensley Daniel believes that Nevis’ move toward the use of geothermal energy would not only solidify the island’s economic base to facilitate social and economic transformation but would also solidify the country’s commitment to reduce global warming and contribute to the Green revolution.

His comment came while he gave support to a landmark Bill, the Nevis Geothermal Resources Development Ordinance, 2008, which was passed in the Nevis Island Assembly on July 08, 2008.

“This is a small contribution to the development of renewable energy, a major contribution to conservation. I believe that the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) will be proud of our [NIA] new efforts and Nevis may just qualify as a green community.

“This marks a paradigm shift away from global warming with the burning of fossil fluids to the use of alternative and renewable energy.

“This is our way of meeting the requirements set out by the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, in which we [Nevis] along with 179 other countries committed ourselves to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide. We will certainly be able to meet emissions targets by 2012,” he said.

Kerry Mc Donald – West Indies Power

Charlestown, Nevis
June 26, 2008

Chief Executive Officer of West Indies Power Limited (WIPL) Mr. Kerry Mc. Donald told the Department of Information on June 25, 2008, that plans were well on the way towards providing geothermal energy for the island of Nevis in 2009.

He also spoke of his commitment to the initiative.

“Everything is based on power to Nevis at the end of 2009,” Mc. Donald said.

The company, which made its first geothermal reservoir discovery on June 02, 2008 at Drill Site Nevis1 in Spring Hill, had since relocated to Drill Site Nevis 2 at Upper Jessups Village in the St. Thomas Parish.

The CEO spoke of the company’s current undertakings at the new site.

Premier Parry Speaks About Geothermal Power

Charlestown, Nevis
June 10, 2008

Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry, Deputy Premier ““ Hon. Hensley Daniel and Minister Hon. Carlisle Powell returned to the Federation Monday afternoon after addressing Nevisian Nationals residing in Toronto and New York this past weekend. While in North America a number of important issues were discussed at the town hall meeting, among them being geothermal exploration in Nevis.

“Last week Monday marked an important time for geothermal energy as the first commercially sound reservoir at the Spring Hill site jetted steam from a depth of 3,720 feet. There is still much work to be done before this steam can be turned into electricity, but with an approximate temperature of 480 degrees Fahrenheit, I have been told that 34 megawatts of energy can be supplied and that is enough energy to supply St.Kitts and Nevis with surplus,” said Premier Parry.

The report on geothermal energy was assisted by a well organised power point presentation that contained the areas on Nevis where geothermal could be found, a history of geothermal development on Nevis, production steps (Geology, geochemistry, geophysics, drilling and production of the resource), benefits to Nevis (royalties and less expensive energy) and a host of pictures and text to explain the geothermal process for Nevis.

The audience was very keen for the information, as Minister of Communications, Works, public utilities, posts, Physical planning, Natural resources and Environment- Hon. Carlisle Powell narrated the geothermal presentation.

During the question and answer period in Toronto, a young lady asked, “who would the geothermal energy belong to and whether it would be under the ownership of St. Kitts.”

Steam Ejecting From Nevis 1 Geothermal Well

Charlestown, Nevis
June 03, 2008

Monday June 02, 2008, marked a milestone in geothermal explorations on Nevis and in the Organisation of East Caribbean States (OECS), when the first commercially sound reservoir jetted steam from a depth of 3720 feet at the Spring Hill Nevis I site. Minister with Responsibility for Public Utilities, Natural Resources and the Environment Hon. Carlisle Powell, who was on site said he was never doubtful that geothermal energy was available on Nevis.

“There was never any doubt all studies said there was geothermal energy it was just a matter of finding it.

“I am absolutely delighted that thy have been able to prove the first well as commercially viable. Of course there is still a lot of work to be done before we can turn this steam into electricity but I am confident that West Indies Power (WIP) and its subcontractors are doing the right thing,” he said.

Meantime, Chief Executive Officer (WIP) Mr. Kerry Mc Donald, told the Department of Information of the significance of the find. He cited that it was a sustainable reservoir with an approximate temperature of 480 degrees Fahrenheit which had enough energy for a geothermal power plant.

“The significance of this is that at 3500 feet we hit a small fracture and we developed that small fracture the same as this. To develop that fracture we took out the drill bit so we had an open pipe that we were using to develop it. That took 20 hours to develop about 1/20 of this amount of steam. We went down 200 more feet at basically 2:30 we started to develop this [and] at 3:30 the steam came out. The drill bit is still in the pipe so in other words what you are seeing is steam coming around the little cracks between the drill bit and the pipe wall so this pipe is not open. All you are seeing is what’s coming around the sides, so if we opened this pipe it would be flowing about five times more than this.

“We feel all the water we use to drill with, will be out of this in roughly 30 hours and we will have nothing but the pure steam. What this says is we are in the reservoir. This is a sustainable reservoir and this is enough to build our geothermal power plant,” he said.

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