By the Caribbean Journal staff

The government of Montserrat is inviting expressions of interest for the development of geothermal power on the island.

“The government of Montserrat wishes to explore private sector interest in the confirmation and development of the potential geothermal resource on the island,” the Ministry of Communications and Works said in a statement.

While surface exploration has been undertaken on the island, no drilling has been carried out, the government said, so, despite “encouraging indications that a geothermal resource exists, the potential has yet to be proven.”

The current electricity demand on the island is 2 megawatts, which is met with diesel generation.

The government said it was wiling to entertain “sound proposals” from the private sector from those willing to finance and undertake the drilling phase “to prove the existence of an exploitable resource.”

If it is proven, the opportunity would then be afforded to install a generation facility, the government said.

“Such offers should be from groups with established geothermal experience; proposals should be attractive to the private sector whilst providing equitable benefits for Montserrat, delivering a reliable and realistically priced supply of electricity,” the statement read.

Several countries in the region have already begun drilling for geothermal power, including Nevis and Dominica.