THE RESDP SEEKS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENTALLY-SUSTAINABLE PLAN FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPLORATIONAL DRILLING.

The Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) draft reports on the island’s geothermal exploration drilling project have just been completed, and the public is invited to provide comments by Monday, March 31.

The geothermal project, officially known as the Renewable Energy Sector Development Project (RESDP), is being undertaken to inform the Government of Saint Lucia on the viability of its geothermal resource and to strengthen the enabling environment to scale-up clean energy investments with the private sector.  Geothermal exploration is being conducted in the communities of Fond St. Jacques, Belle Plaine and Saltibus and the RESDP seeks to create a holistic and environmentally sustainable plan for the implementation of the exploration drilling activities.

The purpose of the ongoing ESIA, therefore, was to identify and document the potential risks and negative impacts on the people and the environment around the project sites.  The method by which those risks and impacts are to be controlled, minimized or eliminated is outlined in a supporting document called the Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP). 

The ESIA reports comprise 5 documents – an ESIA report for Fond St. Jacques and Saltibus and a separate report for Belle Plaine (as it falls within the green buffer zone of the Pitons Management Area, PMA), two accompanying ESMPs and an Abbreviated Resettlement Action Plan (ARAP).

These documents along with the comment forms, are available on the Publications section of the Government of Saint Lucia website, the RESDP website (www.sluresdp.com) and social media pages as well as various micro-centres around the island such as the libraries in Castries, Gros Islet, Laborie and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, the Gros Islet and Vieux Fort Innovation and Career Development Centres, Soufriere PMA office, Fond St. Jacques Development Centre and the Energy and Public Utilities Division of the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The public is therefore encouraged to access the documents and let their voices be heard on this important project in our nation’s development.