Last Saturday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez led a delegation to Dominica for the official commissioning of the new $35 million “Waitukubuli Fuel Storage and Distribution Plant,” which will be financed entirely by the government of Venezuela [Also see Hugo Chávez to visit Dominica]. Chávez´s aim is to bring about energy security to Latin America and the Caribbean through his PetroCaribe Project. President of Dominica, Nicholas Liverpool, along with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, and members of Parliament, diplomatic, and consular corps, welcomed President Chávez.

Six tanks have been constructed on seven acres of land to store and distribute diesel, gasoline, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Jet A1 fuel. The total storage capacity at the plant is 35,000 barrels and this capacity is enough to cover two months consumption for the island of Dominica. The joint venture company, PDV Caribe Dominica Limited has been supplying diesel to the Dominica Electricity Services Limited (DOMLEC) since February, 2008. The company is also selling diesel and gasoline to private sector entities on the island.

PetroCaribe is an initiative of the Venezuelan President to help cushion the economies of Latin American and the Caribbean from escalating fuel prices internationally. Dominica and 12 other Caribbean countries signed on to the PetroCaribe agreement in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, on June 29, 2005. The total number of PetroCaribe member states is now 17, with Guatemala expected to join soon.

For full articles, see http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/dominica/dominica.php?news_id=17030&start=0&category_id=31 and http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/06/13/ap6540975.html

Photo of Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez next to St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, during the 6th PetroCaribe Summit (held in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts), from http://www.daylife.com/topic/Roosevelt_Skerrit/photos/all/1