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| Premier Amory (right) presents a wall clock to Mr Parker. Looking on is Minister Perkins. |
Charlestown Nevis (November 23, 2005) -- A proposed geothermal project for Nevis has entered the phase where the Organisation of American States (OAS) is seeking to raise US$10 million for the actual exploration and drilling in an attempt to source geothermal energy available on Nevis.
Minister of Physical Planning in the Nevis Island Administration, the Hon Mr A. Michael Perkins, said on Tuesday that the geothermal project was still well on the cards as far as the OAS was concerned and that he had been advised that they had entered the phase where the OAS was seeking to raise the funds.
He made the observation during a farewell luncheon held at the Mount Nevis Hotel in St. James' Parish for the retiring Director of the Office of the General Secretariat of the Organisation of American States in St. Kitts and Nevis, Mr Ken Parker, and added that the Nevis Island Administration was excited about the project "and we look forward to it being advanced in your absence."
The outgoing diplomat, who had worked in the Federation for the last sixteen-years, was hailed by the Honourable Premier of Nevis, Mr Vance Amory, as being a good friend of Nevis, one who had assisted the Nevis Island Administration in a number of ways to acquire funding for some aspects of the development of Nevis.
"Over the years we have talked about a number of matters of interest but more recently he (Parker) has been with us with the exploration for the potential of geothermal energy here in Nevis because this is an important part of our future development and more especially now as we are looking at the high price of oil and fossil fuels," observed the Premier.
He further noted that there was the need to "certainly look at alternative forms of energy and the Organisation of American States with the instrumentality of Mr Parker has been very helpful in using Nevis as one of the experimentation points."
Mr Parker, who is returning to his native Trinidad, was accompanied by his wife Mrs Norma Parker. Others at the luncheon were Premier Amory|'s wife, Mrs Vernie Amory, and the Senior Assistant Secretary in the Premier's Ministry, Mrs Angela Scarborough.
In reply, Mr Parker remarked that the people of Nevis continue to engender within themselves a desire to set high standards of accountability for their own performance, doing it with the fineness satisfaction of a job well done, which together epitomises the high standards of excellence already associated with them.
He assured Minister Perkins that the geothermal project would continue in his absence saying that an alternative form of energy "is always particularly important for all developing countries and I think the rest of us recognise the importance given the kind of project because we have gotten to the point where we can begin to move the process forward."
Said Mr Parker: "We are particularly happy and thank you most sincerely for allowing us to be a part of the beautiful family of the Federation and in particular the people of Nevis. We have been here for the past 16 years and since becoming the director of the OAS, for over that period of time I am now convinced more than ever before that small is indeed beautiful."
