Several businesses have expressed interest in exploring Montserrat’s potential for geothermal energy production, Minister of Environment John Osborne has said.
Speaking during an interview on ZJB Radio on 28 November, he revealed that the government has had discussions on the topic with about four companies.
“So it’s just to get the data that they need so they can do their own assessment about going forward and then having the right conversations,” he said.
Geothermal power production, which is considered a renewable and sustainable energy source, involves harnessing heat from beneath the Earth’s surface to generate electricity.
This is done by drilling wells into geothermal reservoirs, where hot water or steam can be accessed to drive turbines connected to generators.
Montserrat has two geothermal wells which were drilled ten years ago on Cork Hill, but have not yet been used to produce electricity.
“The fact that we have two wells already dug has alleviated quite a bit of the risk for geothermal,” Osborne said, adding, “so there is potential in Montserrat in terms of dealing with the energy crisis.”
Geothermal progress
In 2014, the then government drilled and tested of two production-sized wells on Cork Hill using £12.7 million in funding from the UK’s former Department for International Development.
The wells were estimated to produce about two megawatts of electricity each, dependent on plant technology.
A third well was dug in 2016 but collapsed at 1,500 metres during the drilling phase and was not completed.
That same year, the Montserrat Energy Policy 2016-2030 was published detailing the former government’s policy for geothermal energy, including plans for partner collaboration, legislation, design and build.
Six years later, in 2022, Montserrat’s Energy Task Force published a report recommending the government should pursue development of a 3MW geothermal plant at a cost of EC$62.8 million.
In November that year, the Ministry of Works issued a request for proposal for the economic development of the wells.
Bidders were asked to submit proposals for the supply of a geothermal plant with a minimum capacity of 1.5 MW of electricity generation to be sold to Montserrat Utilities Ltd (MUL).
In April of 2023, the Montserrat Legislative Assembly passed the Geothermal Resources Development Act which established a legal framework for the sustainable use of geothermal energy.
The deadline for the request for proposal was reached in June 2023, and no further information was released on the outcome.
