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Agreement signed on evaluation of geothermal potential of La Palma, Canary Islands

Agreement signed on evaluation of geothermal potential of La Palma, Canary Islands Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain (source: flickr/ Christine, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 5 Oct 2017

The Instituto Volcanologico de Canarias and the government of the island of La Palma have signed an agreement under which the geothermal potential for the island is to be explored.

The Instituto Volcanologico de Canarias (IVOLCAN) and the Government of La Palma have signed an agreement to evaluate the geothermal potential of this island. The Canary Islands are an island group off the Northwestern tip of Africa belonging to Spain.

Under the agreement it is planned to research the southern region of the island and hopefully help in achieving energy autonomy and a reduction of carbon emissions.

In a first stage, locations are to be identified where geothermal potential is the greatest. It is estimated that temperatures of 150 degrees Celsius, sufficient for power generation, can be found at a depth of around 5,000 meters.

The agreement and corresponding spending has been included in the budget planning of the La Palma government that aims to reach 100% self sufficiency for energy supply. Geothermal energy could be used in public buildings, such as the General Hospital of La Palma, but also in hotels, apartment buildings and private homes in rural areas.

Source: Canary Islands Report