Above: Dominica (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Dominica will be hosting a donor conference in September aimed at boosting support for its geothermal energy project.

More than $30 million has been spent on the project in the country’s Roseau Valley.

Following recent talks between Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and the Agence Francaise de Developpement in Paris, Dominica said the AFD was “prepared to fund the first plant,” which would have a capacity of 15 megawatts.

China will be among the countries attending the conference in September.

“Our bilateral and development partners as well as multilateral partners will be invited to this donor conference in Dominica to specifically look at the geothermal plant,” Skerrit said. “Financing for the construction of a small plant which we are already addressing is in the region at about $40 million, so we must take note [of] that and the 120-megawatt plant would [cost] about $400 million. You are talking about a huge capital outlay there.  You would certainly be looking at a number of financiers to underwrite this $400 million facility.”