NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS (July 28, 2026)- Premier of Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley, says the Nevis Geothermal Project has reached another significant milestone, with mobilization of the drilling rig expected in the near future as the long-anticipated project moves closer to the commencement of drilling.
Providing an update during his monthly press conference on July 28, Premier Brantley, Minister of Finance and Energy in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), said delays that had temporarily slowed progress have now been resolved and the project is once again moving ahead.
“On the geothermal project we have seen significant progress. We are hopeful that after some delays occasioned by some internal matters that had to be resolved that we are now full steam ahead.
“We expect that the drill rig is going to be mobilized and be with us in short order…I’m told the next step is for us to inspect the drill rig in Iceland and then for the drill rig to be shipped to us. Once it is shipped and on island, we would then expect that drilling should commence this year for sure.”
The Premier explained that while the original timeline anticipated mobilization in August, only minor adjustments are now expected.
“The initial date we had been given was August. We may have some slight slippage but not much because we expect that now that some issues have been ironed out, that funding is flowing, we anticipate that full mobilization will occur shortly.”
Premier Brantley took the opportunity to once again underscore the importance of the partnership between the Nevis Island Administration and the Federal Government, noting that while the geothermal resource belongs to the people of Nevis, the island had long faced challenges in developing it. He said the collaborative commitment between himself and Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew had enabled Nevis to access the international financing necessary to move the project forward.
“We are very much looking forward to that and again I go on record to thank Prime Minister Drew and the Federal Government. It is their cooperation partnership on this that has allowed us to get this far.
“I’m thankful to him, grateful for that partnership, and we look forward to working jointly to sharing in the benefits to flow and as I’ve said time and time again, for the people of both islands to have clean, cheap, renewable energy available to them…This is how the country is supposed to work, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work on delivering such a significant project for the benefit of the people of Nevis and for the people of St. Kitts.”
The Nevis Geothermal Project is one of the largest renewable energy initiatives ever undertaken in the Federation. The project is expected to unlock Nevis’ geothermal resource to generate clean, reliable and affordable electricity for both Nevis and St. Kitts, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels while strengthening the country’s energy security.
Development of the project is being financed through a combination of international funding, including approximately US$51.6 million from the Green Climate Fund through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), as well as US$20 million from the Saudi Fund for Development. The initial phase is expected to support the development of a 30-megawatt geothermal power plant.
Premier Brantley said the commencement of drilling will mark a major step toward realizing a project that has long been viewed as transformational for the Federation’s energy future and economic development.
