Above: St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia’s geothermal energy push is gaining steam.

The government has signed an agreement with the government of New Zealand on a partnership aimed at providing “key technical assistance to support geothermal exploration, and help define the prospects for advancing geothermal development in Saint Lucia,” it said in a release.

St Lucia Energy Minister Dr James Fletcher signed the agreement with New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully.

“The Agreement is also designed to support training opportunities in geothermal energy through New Zealand Development Scholarships, and facilitate where possible, practical skills development opportunities,” the government said of the pact, which was signed on the sidelines of the Third International Small Island Developing States conference in Samoa this week.

St Lucia’s government announced in February of this year that it would be following several of its regional neighbours and considering exploration of geothermal resources.

Any potential project in St Lucia would likely be located at the island’s Sulphur Springs, Fletcher said at the time.