Above: Montserrat

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Montserrat is continuing its preparatory work in advance of geothermal exploration on the island.

The first drilling rig and other equipment from Iceland Drilling Company, which won the contract to explore for geothermal energy resources, will arrive Jan. 29, according to the government.

The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development has allocated $13.45 million for geothermal exploration.

Since the contract was signed with IDC in October, the site preparation work began.

The drilling and testing phases are expected to take three to four months, including two wells drilled to a depth of 5,000 feet in Montserrat’s Zone C, between Weekes Village and Garibaldi Hill.

According to a geothermal exploration report done by California-based EGS, there is an 80 percent likelihood of geothermal energy on the island.

Montserrat is one of several Caribbean islands pursuing geothermal power.

Dominica has signed an agreement, also with IDC, to begin drilling a pair of wells in the Roseau Valley area.

Nevis had been working on a geothermal project that later stalled, although the government has said it now plans to push forward with the project.