St Kitts and Nevis Geothermal Plant Gets EU Offer
ENERGY · ST KITTS AND NEVIS
Key Facts
- —The country St Kitts and Nevis, a two-island federation in the eastern Caribbean. Nevis has its own island government, the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), which leads the geothermal project.
- —What happened On 24 September 2026 a three-member EU delegation told NIA officials the bloc is ready to mobilise concessional loans and investment grants, the NIA said on 1 October.
- —The numbers A planned 30-megawatt plant at Hamilton, six wells to be drilled by Iceland Drilling, and a US$5.9 million drilling down payment reported on 18 August 2026.
- —What it means for you Nevis burns imported fuel for power. Local geothermal electricity could steady prices and later be sold by cable to neighbouring islands, if drilling succeeds.
- —Still open No EU amount, loan terms or timetable has been named. Drilling had not started; on 4 September the Premier said it could begin in October or early November.
The Nevis geothermal project in St Kitts and Nevis has drawn an offer of support from the European Union. EU officials told the island government on 24 September 2026 that the bloc can mobilise concessional loans and investment grants.
The account comes from the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), the island’s own government within the federation, which released it on 1 October. No amount, loan terms or timetable has been made public.
What the EU delegation said
The delegation was led by David Mogollón, the EU’s head of cooperation for Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean States. It met Acting Premier Spencer Brand and NIA energy consultant Ernie Stapleton in the NIA Cabinet Room.
“We are ready to mobilise concessional loans, investment grants, and different modalities can be explored,” Mogollón said, according to the NIA. He added that the EU was still deciding “what is the specific setup” for the partnership.
He also offered European know-how in engineering, transmission and inter-island links for the Nevis geothermal plan. An adviser from the EU’s technical assistance facility for sustainable energy attended.
A 30-megawatt plant and six wells
The plant is planned at the Hamilton site and is being developed through the Nevis Electricity Company (NEVLEC), the island’s power utility. Iceland Drilling signed a contract in April 2026 to drill six wells, ThinkGeoEnergy reported.
The NIA made a US$5.9 million down payment for the drilling, The St Kitts Nevis Observer reported on 18 August. A NEVLEC team inspected the drilling rig in Iceland in late August before shipment.
Premier Mark Brantley put the well pad at about US$4 million, the Observer reported on 15 September. He named Saudi Arabia, Italy, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Green Climate Fund as funders.
If it works, Nevis would host three times the capacity of Dominica’s 10-megawatt geothermal plant. That plant only recently began commercial operation, according to ThinkGeoEnergy.
A wider grid for the northern islands
On 29 September Brantley said the EU wants to link Nevis and St Kitts with Saba, St Eustatius and Sint Maarten. The plan also reaches the French islands of St Barthélemy and Saint-Martin.
The EU is also “looking farther afield to places like Antigua”, he said. Antigua has held its own talks on buying Nevis power, as noted in Antigua and Barbuda Explained, a 2026 Country Guide.
According to Brantley, EU officials had already held several discussions with Prime Minister Terrance Drew, including in Brussels. His recovery from a stroke is covered in St Kitts and Nevis PM Drew Meets Deputy Hanley in Miami While Recovering From Stroke.
Brantley said the NIA would keep assessing the proposal. The United States government has also shown interest in partnering on the project, he added.
Promise and risk
Drew wrote on 28 August that the federation imports fuel at “high and unpredictable prices”. He called geothermal a project for the whole federation, as Saint Kitts and Nevis Explained 2026 describes.
The Nevis geothermal effort has stalled before, and Drew blamed the previous government for failing to advance it. Brantley also cautioned on 4 September that “things can change and there can be difficulties”.
Wells can yield less heat than expected. Concessional loans would also add to public debt, while grants would not.
What Is Not Yet Known
The size of any EU package, and the split between loans and grants, has not been disclosed. The EU’s own account of the meeting was not available, so the offer rests on the NIA statement.
It is also unclear whether the NIA will choose the EU, the United States or a mix of partners. The start date for drilling, and whether the wells can support 30 megawatts, remain open.
Sources: Nevis Island Administration statement of 1 October 2026, via Nevis Pages and St Vincent Times; The St Kitts Nevis Observer, 18 August 2026 and 15 September 2026; ThinkGeoEnergy, 14 April 2026 and 31 August 2026; Prime Minister Terrance Drew, statement of 28 August 2026, via Nevis Pages.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
LatAm Markets: Live Signals → — real-time movers, turnover leaders and FX across Latin America.