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Drilling completed for 55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal project of ICE in Costa Rica

Drilling completed for 55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal project of ICE in Costa Rica Drilling platform, Las Pailas II geothermal project, Costa Rica (source: La Nacion)
Alexander Richter 22 Jan 2018

Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) has successfully completed the drilling campaign securing sufficient steam output for its 55 MW Las Pailas II geothermal power project in Curubandé de Liberia, Costa Rica.

In an announcement on its website, Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) announced that one year after the start of work on the Las Pailas II Geothermal project in Curubandé de Liberia, and according to the construction program, ICE finalized the drilling of the 21 wells that guarantee the availability of the geothermal resource that will feed it.

With innovative directional drilling, ICE managed to explore and develop three platforms for brine extraction – each with four wells – and three platforms for reinjection – each with three wells.

The average depth of the wells of Las Pailas II is 2,200 meters. In the Geothermal Field Alfredo Mainieri Protti, that figure is 1,600 meters.

As of January 2019, Las Pailas II, located next to the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, will provide 55 MW of installed capacity to generate electricity with steam from ground heat.

Mitsubishi Hitachi won a tender for the supply of the turbine for the project in 2016, as we reported before.

“Guaranteeing the recourse to one year of starting the operation is a milestone for any project of this type. Evidence of proper planning and correct design, “said Eddy Sánchez, director of Geothermal Resources at ICE.

He added that “(ICE) accumulates knowledge and experience to continue with the development of geothermal energy in the country. We can generate electricity using the resource with efficiency and sustainability, at low cost and in harmony with the environment. ”

At the same time, ICE is moving forward with the completion of the powerhouse, the 13.88-kilometer pipeline – along with the sewerage system – and the 8.63-kilometer pressurized pipeline. The infrastructure will have a camouflaged visual work that will facilitate coexistence with the wooded area.

The construction of Las Pailas II began in April 2013. It will be the seventh geothermal plant in Costa Rica. It is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with a term of 40 years. The investment is complemented by the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and ICE.

Source: ICE, Costa Rica Star News