Between June 3 and 4, 2026, the Caribbean federation of St. Kitts and Nevis launched a landmark collaborative workshop to develop its national 100% renewable energy transition roadmap, with the island of Nevis emerging as a key leader in shaping the federation’s clean energy future. Hosted at the Nevis Marriott Resort, the kickoff meeting was organized jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Greening The Islands Foundation (GTI), drawing cross-sector participation from government officials, national utility providers, climate technical specialists, and international energy development partners. The core goal of the gathering was to co-design a structured, actionable strategic framework to guide the federation’s full shift away from fossil fuels to renewable power sources.
Leading the Nevis Electricity Company Limited (NEVLEC) delegation at the event, General Manager Nelson Stapleton delivered the opening remarks on day one, where he outlined the dual economic and national security benefits of a rapid clean energy transition for the small island federation. Stapleton reaffirmed NEVLEC’s full institutional commitment to supporting the development of the national roadmap, drawing particular attention to the utility’s ongoing geothermal energy exploration and development project. He framed the geothermal initiative as a transformative effort that could put the federation well on track to meet its bold 100% renewable energy target far ahead of schedule.
Throughout the two-day workshop, Stapleton emphasized that energy system resilience must be the central priority of the entire transition process. He noted that the roadmap process represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a reliable, low-carbon energy infrastructure that will serve current and future residents of Nevis and St. Kitts. On the first day of technical sessions, NEVLEC Project Coordinator Naftalie Errar presented a comprehensive update on the utility’s geothermal development program and other related clean energy projects, offering clear evidence of Nevis’s years of ongoing work to unlock its abundant underground geothermal resources and cementing the island’s role as the driving force behind the federation’s clean energy goals.
Day two of the workshop shifted focus to the practical technical challenges of integrating high levels of renewable energy into the existing national grid. Stapleton joined counterparts from the St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited (SKELEC) to deliver a joint overview of the federation’s current electricity infrastructure, planned modernization upgrades, and the core challenges of grid integration that come with scaling up variable renewable energy generation. NEVLEC’s contributions were particularly critical to discussions around how base-load geothermal power can complement intermittent solar and wind projects, maintaining overall grid stability while ensuring a consistent, reliable supply of electricity for homes and businesses across both islands.
By the close of the workshop, all participating stakeholders reached formal agreement on clear next steps for advancing the roadmap development process, including formalizing governance structures, outlining individual stakeholder responsibilities, and mapping out the full timeline for implementation. NEVLEC’s high-profile, substantive contributions to the kickoff workshop underscore Nevis’s longstanding commitment to advancing geothermal energy development and supporting the entire federation’s shared vision of a resilient, energy-secure, and fully sustainable clean energy future.