CURACAO'S ENERGY SOLUTION
By JJosepha News
Twitter.com/JJosephaNews
Willemstad, Curacao. Almost one year after Curacao’s 2017 national general election, Caribbean News had the opportunity for a follow-up with Curacao’s history making youngest ever political party leader and president; Josefina Josepha; an Eu-NeoClassical liberalist.
The young female leader and change-maker, frankly expressed her concerns on Curacao’s potential fate over its evidential doom on its future energy pathway.
“The key to Curacao’s economic turn-around is based on its energy profile, being sensitive to the country’s shareholders and responsible to the stakeholders; it’s an extremely easy balance once you put the country destination and the people and their lives in focus, and that goes for the MPs and ministers alike; today you can be there and tomorrow you’re gone, but the lives of those who voted and didn’t vote for you stays in your conscious, of what could you have done better,” Josepha said.
JOSEFINA JOSEPHA SHARES HER POLICY PROPOSAL FOR CURACAO'S ENERGY REFORM:
LKKK’s 2017 National Platform – “Vision 20/20” – was designed upon the theme; “A Better Curacao; (ABC)”, with the seven key policy reforms; DEFENCE; which are embodied in three (3) key areas of concern; pinned, “Dr. P”; the abbreviation for:
- 1. Developmental
- 2. Restructuralization
- 3. Progressive
In brief; Our Energy Reform has a “Two Hands Approach”, aka; “The Ten-Point Perspective” which included [See illustration above – Curacao Energy Management Initiative by Josefina Josepha]:
• The full array of renewable energy venture of onshore and offshore; wind, water and sun; the traditional formats.
• The non-traditional formats; of water conservation and water reservoir, 80% Fully Operationally compliant electrical grid system by 2029, hybrid electrical cars and electrical power pump stations by .
• Innovative formats of biomass and biofuel projects, along with waste to energy conversion plants and HVAC systems.
• Geothermal energy format including, residential and country scale approach.
However; when we consider the Curacao power company's monopoly; the increasing number of homes, the downturn economic shift, minimum wage climbing by about two percent and consequently; as a result, the Members of Parliament (MPs); and Government Ministers (GMs) salaries skyrocketing percentage-wise; in comparison to minimum wage, the increasing consumer price index; which apparently seems to satisfy the corporate Curacao community or “certain business partners”, and finally the cost of utilities increasing, because of the apparent oil price lock down.
CURACAO PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET CONCERN ON EDUCATION AND HEALTH WILL HAVE DISASTROUS FUTURE PAY-OUT CONSEQUENCE.
Meanwhile, Curacao’s parliament’s allocation of funds to education and the health sector are less than impressive, especially with the bail-out of Insel Air and the government’s commitment to the aviation company; the national flag carrier; seemed to secure the short term patch to the hemorrhaging long enough for possibly the financial recuperation in stakeholders and shareholders stock value, long enough for them to probably sell off stocks and bonds and then the company files bankruptcy.
CURACAO'S LEADERSHIP CONTINUES TO DO THE SAME THING EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS.
There is a famous medical quote that says, “Repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is a classical definition of insanity.”
LKKK'S JOSEFINA JOSEPHA - NATIONAL PLATFORM AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT POLICY REFORM.
Therefore, revising LKKK’s national platform and energy management reformation policy, I see there is so much room for venture and the only thing stopping national energy management reform policy progressive approach is the political will, political fortitude and the vision to understand the voters’ pain and that of the lives of their families.
TRUE ZERO DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUEL.
In the news of St Kitts and Nevis, after almost 19 years they are now walking in the path of true zero dependence on fossil fuel, and they did that by going simple, understanding what they have and making the best out of what they have. Part of that opportunity was a dormant volcano and the expertise of businessmen and developers working together under the initiative of the now deputy PM of St Kitts and Nevis.
POSSIBILITY OF GEOTHERMAL USAGE IN CURACAO STILL A POSSIBILITY.
This all inclusive approach equated to understanding the geologic plate that Curacao also sits on, when almost three years ago oil was discovered within Guyana's territory. That seemed to have followed along the chronological timeline with; then PM Asjes resigning, and then venturing into oil search exploration. What a coincidence! How interesting is that?
Like all fields of testing, geothermal energy, some may think, the possibility does not exist in Curacao, but without analytical examination of the data, no one truly knows, we might as well be sitting on a gold mine of energy reservoir and opportunities and unlike St Vincent and Grenadines, Dominica’s $17 million for development for a geothermal plant and St Lucia’s drilling for geothermal project.
THE PEOPLE OF CURACAO ARE BEING SHORT CHANGED AND DESERVE BETTER...
Analyzing the present situation, I have to think that the people of Curacao would be short changed if anything less than utilizing the full potential of our natural resources . For an insightful visual understanding of the comparative studies for Curacao’s energy profile, please see the following three graphs:
I HAVE A VISION: A FUTURE OF A CLEANER ENERGY CURACAO WITH CURACAO AS A MAGNET MEGA COMMERCIAL HUB.
With a reduce energy cost per capita, Curacao can reduce its national fossil fuel purchase and become zero dependent on this; and therefore follow the United Nations climate change talks held in Paris; to cut greenhouse gases. Therefore, taking advantage of lowering utility expenses to their lowest rate quotients ever and become an attractive tool for businesses, especially when combined with a business incentives and policies, attractive operating business laws and tax laws in favor of the citizens of the country first and foremost, the potential for Curacao's economic growth would be immeasurable exponentially. This would usher in a new era in technology, new e-"areas" advances, an exponential trade differential growth; e-tourism and new diplomatic foreign policy and Caribbean instruments.
POSSIBILITY OF EXTENDED HELP FROM ST KITTS AND NEVIS...
If this perspective is furthered expanded to include connections from, for example, St Kitts and Nevis to Curacao and from Curacao to Aruba and Bonaire then energy generated if the geothermal potential exists in Curacao would be able to feed the two sister islands and the same maybe exists across the Caribbean basin to St Maarten and other islands, thereby connecting the Dutch Caribbean once again. This would reign in a new era in global clean energy network program and the first step towards a never before proposal of The UCIS; United Caribbean Island States.
INVESTING IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE WITH CLEAN ENERGY BENEFITS ALL OF CURACAO.
With such venture the need for ship entry calling our ports maybe a thing of the past with a underwater pipe system channel from Curacao to Aruba to Falcon, Venezuela or directly Curacao to Falcon, Venezuela with a Tunnel-bridge and high speed railway system that double functions as one of many natural clean energy hub stations. Better recovery of waste and especially the carbon dioxide that comes off which can be reused in geothermal heat exchange process.
FINDING A NEW STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR ISLA REFINERY.
Maybe the Isla Refinery, needs to be sold off, Russia maybe an unwise idea but definitely a good strategic maneuver to leverage further infrastructural development for the benefit of the island.
GEOTHERMAL PAY-OFF FOR CURACAO - A NEW AGE IN RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE.
Also, geothermal residential vertical wells for homes would further assist in lowering energy usage, but this would be coupled with governmental subsidies to the poor and the below average income family living in certain classified areas where applicable. The illustration 1.0 diagrammatically demonstrates the overview of the schematics of LKKK's Energy Management Initiative and plan, however; I am only focusing in on a small part of the many renewable energy opportunities for A Better Curacao, in specific portion of the geothermal energy benefits, but the payback to the government with new tax laws can garner 35% to 48% on the earning of energy generated to the grid by residents.
THE RESULTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO DRASTICALLY BENEFIT THE CURACAO FISCAL BUDGET.
Furthermore; by making this more available with a two to five year return for the initiative to residential clients, the apparent reduced rate would make up for it in taxes on return to the grid system.
"For A Better Curacao - is just ABC!"
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