In September 2017, category 5 hurricane “Maria” hit the Caribbean islands just a few days after the devastation already carried in the area by the previous one, “Irma”.
The worst consequences were in the small island state of Dominica and currently, the situation is still far from normalized. In January, the European Union formalised the allocation of 3.52 million euros to help the island, as part of an 8.9 million euro programme based on two main axes: the reconstruction of the country’s water infrastructure and to push towards the production of energy from geothermal sources. The intervention is primarily aimed at supporting the government in repairing the country’s basic water infrastructure. It also aims at replacing the previous system with a more resilient one. As for the support to the development of geothermal energy, the EU is helping the government in establishing a legal framework for the development of energy and technologies. A unit will also be set up to promote geothermal investments, ensure the efficient use of the geothermal resources, and monitor all safety issues relating to the operation of geothermal plants. EGEC had already reported on the untapped potential of geothermal energy in small islands and on the EC initiative “Clean Energy for EU Islands”.
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