Above: volcanic activity in St Lucia (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia has launched scientific investigations as it looks to determine the possibility of developing geothermal energy on the island, the government said this week.

The country’s Ministry of Sustainable Development has completed the first leg of aerial and ground surveys of proposed geothermal sites.

They are the first in a series of five planned general surveys set to be conducted under assistance from the government of New Zealand in the amount of $800,000.

So far, the surveys have included two-day helicopter aeromagnetic surveys, looking to detect faults in the earth’s surface that could provide “conductivity for geothermal development,” according to a government statement.

The results of the surveys are slated for release in September.