Montserrat:

Caribbean Island Buried by Eruption Goes Green with Volcano Power (The Conversation)

by Graham Ryan, Research Fellow at University of Auckland

Conceptual model based on survey data to home in on best site for drilling a well.
(Courtesy Graham Ryan)

The same geological forces unleashed by the Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat are being harnessed to power the island’s electricity grid from a geothermal source.

Magnetotellurics uses naturally occurring signals from lightning storms and charged particles ejected from the sun to penetrate below ground. Seismic tomography uses the responses of pressure waves created by carefully generated explosions to generate images of the rocks. Aided by researchers at the University of Auckland these techniques were used to create the subsurface maps that have successfully guided Montserrat’s geothermal drilling program.

Between March and September of 2013 the Iceland Drilling Company drilled Montserrat’s first two geothermal wells, to depths of 2,300 and 2,900 meters, striking temperatures of over 260°C. While testing is still ongoing, the initial results suggest that the fluid flowing from the wells will be able to generate more power than needed by the island’s reduced population of around 5,000 inhabitants. Once completed, the geothermal power station will free the island from its current reliance on expensive diesel-powered generators for its electricity – currently among the most expensive electricity in the world.

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