NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 16, 2022) – Premier Hon. Mark Brantley has given the assurance that his administration remains committed to the pursuit of geothermal and other forms of renewable energy, despite the recent investment in a new 3.8megawatt Wärtsilä diesel generator for the Nevis Electricity Company (NEVLEC).

“When we invested in this engine we were heavily criticized in some quarters as having abandoned green energy, particularly the island’s geothermal project.

“I would want to say here today that the commitment of my government to renewable energy has not waned one bit. It remains, in fact we continue with very intense discussions with a developer whom we hope can develop and deliver on the promise of geothermal energy,” he said at the ceremony to commission the new generator at the NEVLEC Prospect Power Plant on March 15, 2022.

The Premier, Minister of Public Utilities and Energy in the Nevis island Administration (NIA), explained that developing renewable energy forms part of his government’s long term goals, however the NIA has a responsibility to ensure the people of Nevis have a reliable source of electricity to meet their present demand.

“Whilst green energy- geothermal energy in particular, solar and wind energy- as options continues to be an aspiration of this government, we couldn’t allow aspiration to trump the practical demands of our people; and while we work towards renewable energy in the future, we had immediate needs to ensure that our people had electricity and a reliable supply of electricity in the immediate term. We had needs now, today, and we could not wait until renewable energy might come in the future and tell our people who are in darkness because they have no power, to wait until next year or the year after, renewable energy will come. So as a government I believe we took a practical and pragmatic approach to ensuring that we continue to have a reliable supply of electricity on the island.

“So the commitment to renewable energy remains strong, and I want to make that point clear so that our people don’t get confused that a short term measure, the Wärtsilä diesel generators, was to ensure that we are stable while we pursue our long term goal of renewable energy.”

NEVLEC General Manager, Mr. Albert Gordon, also spoke to the company’s pursuit of renewable energy as an alternative supply of electricity, saying NEVLEC is working on having a plant in place soon to meet the local power demand. Other sources of green energy being explored are solar, hydrogen, biomass and wind.

“So the plan going forward is to develop our renewable resources and to use that not just to meet local demand but as a means to export energy and products derived from green energy so that the economy of Nevis, and St. Kitts and Nevis, can prosper from the resource.”

He went on to inform that Wärtsilä is now transitioning to the green economy and have developed engines that can run on hydrogen and ammonia, and that NEVLEC have asked that Nevis be considered for field testing of that new type of generator.