The thermal energy of volcanic islands makes them of interest for geothermal exploration. According to Huttrer St.Vincent ranks 4th of the list of geothermal energy potential in the Caribbean.
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines have an estimated 890 MW (mega watts) of geothermal power potential.
- St. Vincent’s geothermal potential has not been formally studied. INEEL (US department of energy), GMC, and USGIC prepared a preliminary assessment of the potential for the development of geothermal resources of St. Vincent under a DOE (department of energy) sponsored program.
- La Soufrière volcano has erupted three times since 1902, there is a steaming resurgent dome in the crater and there are numerous hot springs in river valleys on the western side of the volcano (Huttrer, 1998).
- Of additional interest are three striking features near Wallibou Beach, in an area locally known as “Hot Waters,”and a circular feature near Morgans Wood near Trinity Falls (Huttrer, 1995).
Geothermal power could almost surely be sold to the utilities for less
than the 12 -15¢/kWh cost of generation now estimated by the various
utility companies, and the prospect of initiating significant savings is
appealing to government officials as well as the citizens-on-
the-streets (Huttrer, 1998).
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