Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is asking residents to be patient as officials work through technical challenges while integrating the country’s new geothermal power plant into the national electricity grid.

Speaking during a media briefing on June 10, Skerrit acknowledged the frustration caused by recent outages, with some communities experiencing power interruptions lasting several hours.

However, he said the challenges are part of the process of introducing a major new energy system that is expected to bring long-term benefits to the country.

“I do not wish to minimise the inconvenience these outages have caused, but I ask for our people’s understanding as the teething difficulties of these recent weeks are the cost of doing something new,” Skerrit said.

“When this work is complete, we will have lower electricity rates, greater reliability and a Dominica that is no longer at the mercy of imported fuel to the extent to which we did before.”

Dominica became the first country in the region to incorporate geothermal energy into its national electricity generation system, with the project seen as a major step toward reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The geothermal plant began coming online in March, but Skerrit said technical issues linked to testing and integrating new infrastructure contributed to recent service interruptions.

“The good news is that these issues have been identified, addressed and resolved as part of the commissioning process,” he said.

The plant remains in its commissioning phase, with testing, adjustments and system integration work continuing before it enters full commercial operation.

Beyond the geothermal facility, commissioning is also underway on supporting infrastructure, including a substation, underground transmission line, the Fond Colé substation and a battery storage system.

Skerrit said all components must work together as one integrated electricity system before the project can move into full operation.

He described the commissioning process as a significant undertaking, saying ensuring the system operates safely, reliably and efficiently is essential before commercialisation.

The 10‑megawatt plant, valued at US$34.8 million, taps into Dominica’s volcanic resources, and is expected to supply clean, stable energy to approximately 23,000 homes.