30 MW Cerro Pabellón expansion in Chile gets regulatory approval
Cerro Pabellon geothermal power plant, Chile (source: ThinkGeoEnergy)
Alexander Richter
17 Jun 2019
With the regulatory approval in the house, the work on the 30 MW expansion of the Cerro Pabellón geothermal power plant in Chile is expected to kick off in Q3 of 2019.
The environmental agency SEA in Chile has announced the approval of the 30 MW expansion of the Cerro Pabellón geothermal power plant in the North of Chile.
Estimated at an investment volume of $200 million, the expansion is to add 30 MW to the already installed 48 MW of capacity. The plant and project is a development of a joint venture of Geotérmica del Norte (a subsidiary of Italian Enel Green Power) and local company ENAP.
It is expected that construction would start as early as in the third quarter of 2019. n
Geothermal development in Chile continues to lag behind its great potential estimated at around 3,500 MW, mostly due to the high up-front capital cost, but also too strict regulations and unfavourable policy environment.
In order to update some of the regulations hampering growth, the Chilean government has introduced a legislation in April that would help make development easier, at least for smaller projects.
Source: BN Americas
