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Chiusdino geothermal plant increasingly destination for international visitors

Chiusdino geothermal plant increasingly destination for international visitors Chiusdino geothermal plant, Tuscany/ Italy (source: Enel Green Power)
Alexander Richter 19 Jan 2020

The 20 MW Chiusdino geothermal power plant by Enel Green Power in Tuscany sees increasing international visitors, among them a recent visit by the GEOENVI research group.

The Enel Green Power plant in Chiusdino increasingly receives national and international visitors. Recently, a group of representatives of the GEOENVI project stopped by the geothermal plant which constitutes an excellence both from the point of view of environmental inclusion and technological innovation. Inaugurated in 2011, the Chiusdino plant has an installed capacity of 20 MW and, with a production of approximately 150 million KWh, saving around 32,000 TOE (tons of oil equivalent) annually.

GEOENVI, a European project financed under Horizon 2020, aims to enhance the role that geothermal energy plays in European energy needs by creating a solid strategy to respond to environmental concerns. The project involves all geothermal stakeholders, promoting the exchange of best practices and methodologies in Europe, with particular attention to six countries in Europe: Italy, France, Iceland, Belgium, Turkey and Hungary. The project consortium is made up of geothermal operators and some of the main European research bodies.

The visit and discussion on all geothermal issues allowed GEOENVI’s representation to focus on the technical and sustainable aspects of electricity production thanks to the steam contained in the heart of the earth. The aspects relating to the so-called multiple uses are also interesting, from the artisan and agricultural industries to the cultural and tourist industries. Alongside the Chiusdino plant, among other things, Enel Green Power and Co.Svi.G (Consortium for the Development of Geothermal Areas) have promoted, in collaboration with the spin-off “Photosynthetic and Microbiological” of the University of Florence, for the cultivation of spirulina algae which, thanks to the use of geothermal heat and carbon free CO2.

In addition, the Chiusdino power plant has also been the subject of some video footage in recent days for the project competition promoted by Geothermie Suisse, the Swiss Geothermal Association, which intends to enhance the geothermal resource in its multiple applications: the product created by the Geneva University and the Wise & Wizard agency, on the initiative of the professor of Geothermal Luca Guglielmetti, will be officially presented to the General Assembly of the Association to be held on March 17 in Biel.

In Tuscany, Enel Green Power manages the oldest geothermal complex in the world, which has 34 geothermal power plants in a total of 37 production groups, located between the provinces of Pisa, Siena and Grosseto. The over 6 billion kWh produced in Tuscany, in addition to meeting more than 30% of the regional energy needs, provide heat useful to heat more than 10 thousand residential users, about 30 hectares of greenhouses and numerous companies in the agri-food, floriculture, artisan and leather goods.

Source: Siena Free