DOMLEC said recent islandwide outages are linked to internal issues and geothermal testing, assuring improved stability once the plant is fully commissioned.
Dominica: The Dominica Electricity Services Ltd. (DOMLEC) has provided clarity concerning the recent power outages experienced across the island, stating that they are not solely tied to the ongoing transition to geothermal energy.
This information was shared by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for DOMLEC, Ayeola George, during a broadcast session with the media last week. In her address, PRO Ayeola George, stated that the outages are more than just those with relation to the commissioning of the geothermal power plant.
“In terms of recent outages, I would like to stress that they have not all been related to geothermal testing of the geothermal plant. There have been some outages that have been because of internal issues at DOMLEC with our generation units,” shared PRO Ayeola George.
She reiterated that the geothermal plant is currently in its final stages of commissioning and that the engineers are conducting the necessary tests to ensure that it functions well, noting that interruptions are still likely to happen from time to time.
“But, in terms of geothermal as a whole, what I can say is that they are in the final stages of commissioning. They are doing the relevant tests that need to be done and as DOMLEC has mentioned to persons through given notices and advisories, there's always the potential for some type of interruption,” she stated.
The PRO went on to assure the confirm that the introduction of geothermal energy in Dominica will surely reduce the consumer’s bills and will also help with sustainability and reliability as it operates for 24 hours, helping when there are planned or unplanned outages.
She declared, “Dominicans can be assured that once geothermal commissions they won’t have so much unplanned outages.”
Ayeola George added that the finalisation process will happen soon and has asked for the customers to be patient during this time, assuring that the plant will benefit the citizens in the long run as the country completely is the benefactor at the end of this.