Basseterre, St. Kitts (Public Infrastructure News) – On Tuesday, February 24, 2025, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis commissioned the Basseterre Desalination Plant during a ceremony marking the beginning of the nation’s transition from water scarcity to water security.
The ceremony featured prominent guests, including Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. Terrance Drew, Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, other members of the Cabinet, members of the diplomatic corps, senior government officials, staff of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, and private citizens.
Other specially invited guests included Antigua and Barbuda’s Minister of Information, Communication Technologies (ICTs), Utilities and Energy, Hon. Melford Nicholas, and Nevisian Minister of Communications, Works, Water Services, Physical Planning and Environment, Posts, Labour and Disaster, Hon. Spencer Brand. The two ministers actively engaged with Hon. Konris Maynard on matters related to their respective portfolios.
The Republic of China (Taiwan) provided the majority of the funding for the project through a concessional loan agreement with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. H.E. Edward Tao, ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, delivered brief remarks during the ceremony. Public Infrastructure News will provide full details of Ambassador Tao’s remarks in a subsequent article.
Minister Maynard highlighted the impact of the plant, reiterating his earlier statement that its commissioning would increase round-the-clock water service coverage from 25% to 70% islandwide.
He also stated that the extensive undertaking by the St. Kitts Water Services Department to interconnect storage tanks in different locations on the island formed part of a broader plan to ensure that the plant’s two-million-gallon-per-day output could be fed into the islandwide water distribution network and allow for the redirection of water to areas that may be short of supply.
Watch Minister Maynard’s full address here.
Public Infrastructure News will bring you additional highlights from the historic commissioning ceremony and more details on the latest developments within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, as its Water Services Department continues to improve water security throughout the island.
