Engineers have identified and corrected the technical issue that caused the island-wide power interruptions experienced during the commissioning of Dominica’s geothermal energy project, according to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Addressing the matter during his monthly press conference, the Prime Minister acknowledged the disruption caused by the outages on June 17 and June 18 and assured the public that detailed investigations were launched immediately after each incident.
Skerrit explained that although the two outages resulted from different operational events, technical teams discovered they shared a common underlying issue involving the coordination of protection settings between the Battery Energy Storage System at Fond Cole and the geothermal power plant.
“Comprehensive investigations were immediately conducted by engineers and technical specialists. Although the two outages resulted from different circumstances, investigators identified a common issue involving the coordination of protection settings between the battery energy storage system at Fond Cole and the geothermal power plant. The necessary adjustments have since been completed,” the Prime Minister said.
Following the corrective work, government said a successful test carried out on June 30 allowed the mandatory seven-day reliability test to resume on July 1, bringing the geothermal project another step closer to full commercial operation. Officials reported that the plant is now supplying approximately 10.4 megawatts of electricity to the national grid while final commissioning activities continue.
The Prime Minister noted that commissioning a geothermal power plant is a highly technical process aimed at identifying and resolving any remaining operational issues before the facility begins full commercial service.
He cautioned that, as with any major infrastructure project involving advanced technology, additional technical adjustments may still be required during the commissioning period. However, he stressed that every issue identified is being addressed promptly to ensure the system operates safely and reliably.
While no responsible engineer could guarantee that further adjustments would never be necessary, the Prime Minister said the government remains confident that the geothermal facility will soon provide cleaner, more dependable and more affordable electricity for consumers across Dominica.
The geothermal energy project is one of the country’s largest infrastructure investments and is expected to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels, lower electricity generation costs and strengthen Dominica’s long-term energy security. With reliability testing now back underway, officials say the project continues to move steadily toward full commercial commissioning.
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