The integration of geothermal power into Dominica’s electricity system involves more than generating renewable energy. It also requires the electricity network to respond effectively when generation is interrupted, including situations in which one of the geothermal units unexpectedly goes offline.
IRC Executive Director Justinn Kase says a battery system currently provides an important stabilizing function in such circumstances. When one geothermal generator is lost, the battery can support the electricity network while other generation is brought into service. Depending on its level of charge, Kase says the system can maintain grid stability for approximately two and a half hours.
This period provides DOMLEC with an opportunity to start one of its generating engines and maintain support for the electricity system until the geothermal generator returns. Kase noted that the battery’s ability to stabilize the system following the loss of one geothermal generator has already been demonstrated.
The process provides some insight into the technical coordination required to operate geothermal generation alongside Dominica’s existing electricity infrastructure. The geothermal plant has performance characteristics that must be synchronized with the network and with the other generation assets supplying electricity to the country.
According to Kase, these characteristics were among the issues considered during the testing undertaken in the first five months of 2026 before the geothermal plant attained Commercial Operation Date. The testing was necessary to understand how the new generation source would interact with the wider electricity system under different operating conditions.
There is an important distinction between the loss of one geothermal generator and the loss of both units. The existing battery arrangement can provide support following the loss of one generator, while the simultaneous loss of both 5-megawatt generators remains a larger system vulnerability that the IRC and other sector entities are working to address.
For electricity customers, these technical responses normally take place in the background. They are nevertheless an important part of maintaining a stable electricity supply as Dominica incorporates geothermal generation into a network that must continuously balance electricity production with demand.
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