Premier Brantley Applauds Prime Minister Drew and SKNLP Government for Progress in Geothermal Energy Development in St. Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 4, 2025 (PMO) — Premier of Nevis and Leader of the Opposition, the Honourable Mark Brantley, has publicly commended Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP) Government for their leadership and success in securing the necessary funding to advance geothermal energy in the Federation.

During a recent interview on ZIZ’s ‘The Edge’ with host Devonne Cornelius, Premier Brantley acknowledged that while geothermal development has been a decades-long pursuit, the firm commitment and strategic leadership of Prime Minister Drew’s administration have brought the project closer to reality than ever before.

“This approach now and securing these funds is a monumental step forward,” Premier Brantley stated. “We were very pleased when the Saudi Fund for Development indicated that they would, in fact, be providing the additional funding. I think it’s about 20 million US dollars to allow us to take care of this phase of the project. So where we are now is actually, I think, very exciting, because for the first time in the long and tortured history of geothermal, we finally have the funding in place to deal with the drilling of the production wells, which is critical and usually one of the more risky parts of the project in terms of the financial risk.”

He continued, “The shared vision of the Honorable Prime Minister and myself is that St. Kitts and Nevis should work together to ensure that this project is brought to the fore to benefit all of our people, and the transformation that we anticipate will bring with it,” Brantley stated.

Geothermal energy has been a national goal since 2004, but previous attempts failed largely due to financial barriers. Under Prime Minister Drew’s leadership, the government successfully secured over US$37 million in funding—US$17 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and an additional US$20 million from the Saudi Fund for Development—closing the funding gap and allowing for the critical drilling phase to commence.

Premier Brantley emphasized the importance of this breakthrough, stating, “Without the funding, we can continue to talk about geothermal for another decade. This process started way back in 2004, so it is now a 20-year odyssey on which Nevis has been. And at every point, the fundamental problem has been the lack of funding. We have tried various private companies… But at every step of the way, we have had a problem with funding. So this approach now and securing these funds is a monumental step forward.”

Brantley also praised the project’s potential to transform the economy of St. Kitts and Nevis, making the nation a leader in green energy and reducing its reliance on tourism and Citizenship by Investment (CBI) revenue.

“The word that I’ve been using is transformational because I think that what geothermal energy can do for us is to wean us off our current dependence on tourism and, of course, citizenship by investment,” he explained.

Brantley also acknowledged that, thanks to Prime Minister Drew’s administration, St. Kitts and Nevis is now positioned to transition towards a fully green and self-sustaining energy economy.

“The models that I have seen have put the cost of geothermal per kilowatt-hour at less than 11 cents. That compares to what is sometimes over 40 cents for fossil fuel-generated energy. So the savings and the ability to have low-cost energy, which is entirely renewable and doesn’t do any damage to our environment or the climate, are significant pluses,” he said.

The Premier also highlighted the impact that geothermal energy will have on water security and agriculture, particularly by making desalination more cost-effective:

“One of the fundamental problems we have with water is that it makes desalination more affordable. The reason why desalination is often problematic for us is the cost of electricity… So cheaper power means cheaper water, which means better opportunities for farmers, better opportunities for industry, and better overall quality of life for our citizens.”

With funding secured and drilling preparation underway, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, led by Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew, continues to collaborate with Premier Brantley and international partners to enhance energy infrastructure and invest in a sustainable future.

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