Researchers from the United Kingdom flew out to Montserrat this June to investigate the volcanic island’s potential as a source of geothermal energy and critical metals.
The six members of the Oxford Martin Programme on Rethinking Natural Resources aim to help build a system to make the most of Montserrat’s natural resources.
They hope the field study – which took place from 27 May to 13 June – and future research will go on to benefit all of the region’s 13 major volcanic islands.
In a press release on 3 June, energy minister Samuel Joseph said the government is always happy to welcome researchers to Montserrat.
“Especially on significant projects such as this one, which could reveal critical information about Montserrat’s geothermal potential and possibly inform future decisions on our transition to renewable energy,” he said.
“Additionally, this study has the ability to discover the islands potential as a source of critical metals – an aspect which has not been previously explored.”
The world’s volcanoes emit as much copper, lithium, gold and many other critical metals in their volcanic plumes as miners collect every day around the world.
These are important in the net zero energy transition – from the manufacture of batteries and electric vehicles, to the generation and transmission of renewable electricity.
New deposits
The research team will aim to address the challenge of securely and sustainably meeting the demand for critical metals, the press release said.
It will do this by identifying new deposits underneath Soufrière Hills volcano, creating eco-friendly and efficient extraction methods, and evaluating social and environmental impacts.
Programme director Jonathan Blundy, Royal Society research professor at Oxford University’s Department of Earth Science, spoke about the visit to Montserrat.
“We are thankful to the Government of Montserrat for allowing us explore this potential from a variety of angles, including geological, economic, regulatory and social licence,” he said.
“The programme’s ultimate aim is to develop a strategy for geothermal energy and metals co-recovery that is of benefit to the island of Montserrat in enabling their energy transition away from fossil fuels and also portable to other volcanic areas looking to develop geothermal energy.”
Researchers will continue their work until October 2026 with more field visits in Montserrat expected. Once completed, they will share their findings with the Government of Montserrat.
