Cascading utilization in Wotten Waven geothermal field Dominica - social and economic alternatives

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Dominica is an island nation in the Eastern Caribbean with nine (9) active volcanoes and expected to have significant geothermal potential. Consequently, the international scientific community has shown much interest in the exploration of surface manifestations and other natural geothermal features. The Government of Dominica has successfully de-risked geothermal development by accessing grant funding for all exploratory drilling and for parts of the construction of a small power plant. This paper discusses the possibilities for use of the geothermal resources and proposes cascading utilization of geothermal heat and fluid in communities near a proposed power plant as an avenue for economic and social upliftment. The resources are available and the need is apparent.