CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 25, 2010) — Renewable energy projects on Nevis continue to attract regional and international attention for its sustainable energy programme with wind and geothermal.

Minister with responsibility for Natural Resources and the Environment in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Hon. Carlisle Powell, told the Department of Information recently that Nevis would play host to a number of persons  in the coming weeks who had interest in the projects.

The latest group to visit the island for a firsthand look at the Wind Farm Project were Energy Specialist from the OAS Sustainable Energy, Climate Change and Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Division Mr. Kevin de Cuba and Managing Director of German Professional Energy and Environmental Consultancy (ProfEC) Mr. Andreas Jansen.

“We will be hosting Dean Peter Gibbs of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences of the University of the West Indies and these are among the persons visiting Nevis to see what we are doing in geothermal energy and to continue to give us technical advice as we move the project forward.

“I want to suggest that the project is being viewed seriously by the rest of the Caribbean and that is one of the reasons why we continue to attract such attention,” he said.

A team from the St. Vincent Electricity Company Ltd. (VINLEC) was expected to tour the Wind Farm on Thursday.

Mr. Powell explained that the interest in the renewable energy projects was not only centred on visits to Nevis but invitations from other organisations to participate in international forums.

“We have been invited by the European Union Latin America and the Caribbean Region to a forum which will be held in Berlin in Germany. That forum will see a delegation of six persons from the Caribbean, to participate in workshops and to make presentations in panel discussions over a period of two days.

“The Caribbean delegation will consist of a colleague minister from St. Lucia, Minister Richard Fedricks and his Permanent Secretary Mr. George James, Dr. James Fletcher of the Organisation of East Caribbean States Secretariat, Mr. Joseph Williams Programme Manager, Energy of the Caribbean Community Secretariat, Dr. Indra Haraksing of the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus and myself,” he said.

The Minister said though the April 29-30th forum was being held in Germany, it would actually be hosted by Germany, Peru and St. Lucia.  The forum would attract officials including several senior ministers from all over the world who will speak on wide ranging areas of technical cooperation, renewable energies, energy efficiency, frameworks, the strategies and perspectives.

“Nevis was chosen to send a delegate specifically because of what we are doing in geothermal energy and because of what we are doing in wind energy in terms of the wind farm over at Maddens which by the way should be on line end of June early July. So we are making serious advances in that regard with respect to renewable energy,” he said.