Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: The Minister of Energy, Konris Maynard, during the recent energy conference, expressed his vision for the sustainable future of the island nation.
The energy conference was conducted on 28th November, at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
While sharing his views on the event, Maynard stressed on the significance of energy in brining sustainability to the island nation.
Minister Maynard has expressed his desire on transforming St Kitts and Nevis from just a nation to a sustainable island nation.
The Minister considered the exploration of geothermal energy as the huge milestone for the nation.
While acknowledging the support of the government of St Kitts and Nevis, the minister stated that they were provided with great opportunities for the exploration of geothermal energy in Nevis.
Minister Maynard also added that St Kitts and Nevis labour administration’s has extended its complete support to said initiative as it falls within the bounds of its aim to promote the nation’s sustainable island state agenda.
Minister Maynard also pointed at the goals of government for the upcoming years:
– The motive of using 30% renewable energy in the next two years
– The goal of increasing the usage to 50-60% in three years.
Moreover, Minister Maynard mentioned that the government has introduced various initiatives, such as tax incentives for renewable energy products.
Thus, this initiative has also created a healthy environment for private investments in order to bring sustainability.
Minister Maynard encouraged citizens to adopt renewable energy practices, such as using energy-efficient LED lamps.
While talking about the transformation of transport functionality, Minister Maynard stated that the range of electric vehicles has become a feasible and beneficial option for the citizens of the nation.
Minister Maynard also announced the development of a feeding tariff for renewables. The minister added that this step will provide the incentive to contribute energy by selling the excess electricity to investors and homeowners.
He noted that, this initiative will play a huge role in making them independent as they do not need to depend on fossil fuels for power generation.