Government Secures Additional Fuel Storage Facility – Henderson

The Government of Dominica has secured an additional facility to boost the island’s fuel storage capacity.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Business, Trade and Energy, Hon. Dr. Vince Henderson told DBS news Friday, the facility is located at the former Dominica Coconut Products (DCP) site (now DCP Successors) in Belfast.
“We were able to secure a facility at DCP where 10, 000 barrels for storage space is being prepared. We have started the work, we have cleaned the site, and we have pressure tested the lines from the jetty that the DCP once used to offload their tallow and other supplies,” Dr. Henderson announced.
“We are entering a lease agreement with the proprietors of that facility to ensure that when our fuel tanker arrives it can get alongside to fill the storage tanks on that site. We will have an additional storage facility, which will double what we already have for gasoline,” he said, adding that the tanks will be refilled periodically to ensure adequate supplies on island at all times.
Dr. Henderson said Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has further committed to investing in an additional 20, 000-barrel storage tank at the Petro-Caribe facility in Jimmit.
“We expect to pursue that in the New Year. We will create a strategic reserve of gasoline as we have with diesel to ensure we never have the issues of low levels of gasoline as we saw last week,” Henderson stated.
Days before Christmas, delays in the delivery of gasoline due to high sea swells caused long lines at petrol stations as citizens rushed to purchase the scarce commodity.