Costa Rica Studies Feasibility of 50 MW Extension at Pailas (ThinkGeoenergy)
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| Drilling at Pailas I (Courtesy La Nacion) |
The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) is conducting the necessary studies to determine the feasibility of a new 50 MW geothermal plant called Pailas II.
The ICE is considering the installation of a new geothermal plant in the foothills of the Rincon de la Vieja volcano. It´s not the first geothermal plant in that area. The plant Pailas I opened in in the middle of 2011.
ICE currently has an installed capacity of 200 MW, of which the Miravalles plant has 165 MW and 35 MW are from Pailas I. Costa Rica has an estimated geothermal potential of 865 MW, of which only 23% is currently being used.
We provide the ICE information in order to explain the technology used; “It´s the first time in this country that this technology has been used: the directional drilling, to make diagonal excavations from one location to extract various fields. The geothermal plant, Pailas, will be largest geothermal plant in Costa Rica. The cooling tower has eight cells and the plant uses Ormat Binary Technology.”
