Simultaneous Development of Water and Energy for Sustainable Growth in Nevis

The Nevis Island Administration in 2007 commissioned two projects; one to supply geothermally heated groundwater for the development of electric power and the second for the development of fresh groundwater to supplement the island’s potable water supply.

The two projects are being carried out simultaneously under the same technical management team, thus allowing for complete integration of the scientific data.  The information used includes data from a recent study by the Organization of American States (OAS) on the geothermal potential of Nevis, reports and data on the results of previous groundwater development from the Nevis Water Department, GIS data from the Nevis Department of Physical Planning and data collected specifically for these projects which includes detailed geological, geochemical, geophysical and drilling data. 

The activities to date of this project has resulted in the identification of 3 million imperial gallons per day (3 migd) and the development of over 1 migd of excellent quality groundwater.  In addition three exploratory geothermal wells have been drilled resulting in the identification of a geothermal reservoir that covers an area of approximately 25 square killometers.

This paper will report on the exploration approach and the efforts to date of providing low cost geothermal power and potable water and to the of.  Also discussed will be the implications of the development of these two vital resources to the sustainable growth of the Caribbean Region.