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ROSEAU, Dominica, Jun 10, CMC- Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit Wednesday said that his administration is pleased with the progress being made with regards to major development projects here, saying they will provide significant socio-economic benefits to Dominicans.
Speaking at a news conference here, Skerrit said that the construction of the international airport and the geothermal plant commissioning will enhance and preserve the future of the island especially in a changing global environment.
“The construction of the international airport continues to advance satisfactorily across multiple work areas. Earthworks and culvert construction are now approximately 78 per cent complete, runway and taxiway construction has reached 60 per cent completion, while significant progress is also being made on the passenger terminal, cargo facility, air traffic control tower, fuel farm and other critical infrastructure,” Skerrit told reporters.
He said that all activities related to aggregate extraction and processing for the project are being undertaken within the framework of the laws and regulations of the island.
“The government remains committed to ensuring that environmental safeguards are respected,” he said, telling reporters that approvals have recently been granted by the Physical Planning Division for the Stone Field Aggregate Site and the Stone Field Crushing Plant.
“I want to reiterate that there is no mining operation taking place and no plans for copper mining or any similar activity. The purpose of the quarry is solely to provide construction aggregate required for the airport project. The government continues to follow the established regulatory processes, including environmental assessments and oversight by the relevant authorities.”
Skerrit said that the international airport being constructed in the Weslety area, northeast of here, “remains one of the most transformative projects in our nation’s history.
“It is creating employment, stimulating economic activity and laying the foundation for expanded tourism, trade, investment and opportunity for future generations. We remain confident in the progress being made and will continue to keep the public informed as works advance,” Skerrit said.
The estimated one billion EC dollar (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) airport is funded primarily by the country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CBI), which grants citizenship to foreign investors who make substantial contributions to the island’s socio-economic development.
The project is being undertaken by the Montreal Management Consultants LLC with the Chinese company China Railway as the contractors. The airport is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year.
With regards to the multi-million dollar geothermal project, Skerrit told reporters that it remains in its commissioning phase, with testing, adjustments and system integration work all being undertaken before the plant enters full commercial operation.
“Dominica is the first nation in this region to bring geothermal energy onto its national grid, and being first means we are walking a path no one before us has walked,” Skerrit said, adding that he does not minimise the inconvenience these outages have caused.
“But I ask for our people’s understanding as the teething difficulties of these recent weeks are the cost of doing something new. But when this work is complete, we will have lower electricity costs, greater reliability, and a Dominica that is no longer at the mercy of imported fuel.”
He said since generation began in March, some technical issues associated with testing and integrating new infrastructure have contributed to service interruptions.
“The good news is that these issues are being identified, addressed and resolved as part of the commissioning process,” Skerrit said, noting that in addition to the geothermal power plant itself, commissioning is also underway for the associated substation, the 33 kV underground transmission line, the Fond Cole Substation, and the Fond Cole Battery Energy Storage System, all of which must operate seamlessly as an integrated power system.
“Government remains confident in the project and its long-term benefits. While we acknowledge the inconvenience caused by recent outages, commissioning a project of this scale requires rigorous testing to ensure that when the plant enters commercial operation, it does so safely, reliably and efficiently,” Skerrit told reporters.
Dominica’s pioneering 10-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant in the Roseau Valley costs an estimated US$68.3 million with the financing package being collaboratively raised through major regional and global partnerships.
These include US$34.8 million from the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and US$15 million from the Caribbean Development Fund (CDF). Additional funding has been contributed by the UK government, the government of New Zealand, and SIDS DOCK.
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