Antigua and Barbuda is exploring the construction of an undersea electricity cable linking the country to St. Kitts and Nevis as part of a regional effort to import geothermal energy and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Saturday.
Browne said the proposal emerged from discussions among Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) leaders aimed at strengthening regional energy cooperation and improving long-term energy security.
Speaking during his weekly Pointe FM programme, Browne said countries with geothermal resources could supply electricity to neighbouring islands that do not have access to the renewable energy source.
“We also looked at the issue of energy cooperation… those who have geothermal energy, to develop the geothermal capacity, with the possibility that those of us who don’t have, like Antigua and Barbuda, that we can purchase from those who have geothermal,” Browne said.
He said Antigua and Barbuda has already begun discussions with St. Kitts and Nevis on the possibility of connecting the two countries through a subsea transmission line.
“Already we have had discussions with St. Kitts and Nevis to see how we could collaborate with them and, at the same time, get a subsea line running from Nevis to Antigua, where we could potentially in the future get baseload electricity from St. Kitts and Nevis,” Browne said.
The prime minister said the initiative forms part of a broader OECS strategy to deepen cooperation in critical sectors, including energy, transportation and trade, while making member states less vulnerable to external shocks.
He did not provide a timeline for the proposed subsea cable or disclose estimated construction costs but indicated that regional governments are committed to pursuing closer collaboration on renewable energy projects.
St. Kitts and Nevis has been advancing efforts to develop its geothermal resources, which regional leaders believe could eventually provide reliable electricity to neighbouring islands through an interconnected power network.
Browne said expanding access to geothermal energy would help Antigua and Barbuda diversify its energy mix, lower dependence on imported petroleum products and improve long-term energy resilience as global fuel markets remain volatile.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Antigua Plans Undersea Power Link With St. Kitts and Nevis to Import Geothermal Energy.