St. Lucia, a small Caribbean nation on the Small Antilles volcanic arc is getting ready to exploit one of their greatest natural resources:  geothermal energy.

The island has entered into an agreement with U.S.-based Qualibou Energy to develop a series of geothermal plants that will total an installed capacity of 120 MW, enough for the island of 175,000 to use and export.  About one-third of that energy will go toward powering St. Lucia with the rest being transmitted to neighboring Martinique through an underwater cable.

This set up is ideal for St. Lucia and the surrounding islands not only because they are rich with geothermal resources, but also because they currently have to import most of their energy -- mainly petroleum -- from Mexico and Venezuela.  This project will provide them with clean energy and allow them to be energy independent.

The first 12-MW phase of this development will be generating energy in two years with the rest to come online by 2015.

via Yale e360