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55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal plant wins prestigious best project GEOLAC award

55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal plant wins prestigious best project GEOLAC award Las Pailas II geothermal power plant, Costa Rica (source: Grupo ICE)
Alexander Richter 18 Jul 2019

The new 55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal power plant by Grupo ICE in Costa Rica has won the Best Geothermal Project in the Region GEOLAC award in conjunction with the GEOLAC conference in Santiago/ Chile. The plant will be officially inaugurated on 23 July 2019.

Yesterday, during the first day of the Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean (Geolac) 2019, held in Santiago de Chile, the new 55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal power plant by ICE was awarded as “Best geothermal project in the region”.

The organization awarded the prize to the project of the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) for the use of the technique of directed drilling and socio-environmental management in the Curubandé region, in Liberia, province of Guanacaste.

“We are happy because the recognition is for the whole country. Las Pailas II is a 100% Costa Rican project; Exploration, drilling, design and construction have been the responsibility of ICE personnel, “said Marco Acuña, corporate director of Electricity at the Institute.

The co-organization of the Geothermal Congress for Latin America and the Caribbean 2019 is in charge of Chile and Argentina, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank. In the activity, six categories were awarded, the most relevant being the mention obtained by the ICE.

“Since we started geothermal research, in the mid-70s, ICE was refining its capabilities and knowledge; Today we are self-sufficient in all stages of the process. We have innovated with a frank respect for nature “, described Eddy Sánchez, director of Geothermal Resources of ICE.

Las Pailas II will be the most modern geothermal plant in Central America and the Caribbean, with an installed capacity of 55 MW, which will annually allow the production of energy equivalent to the consumption of 137,000 homes.

The Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) will inaugurate the Las Pailas II Geothermal Plant in Liberia, Guanacaste on July 23, 2019. It is the 7th geothermal plant in Costa Rica and has been in operation since March, and produces enough energy to feed about 137,000 homes.

Source: Periódica Mensaja