Ecuador power company expects first geothermal plant by 2017
Pichincha mountains near Quito, Ecuador (source: flickr/ Guillaume Lavaure, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
6 Mar 2012
Ecuadorian power company Celec has identified a number of potential sites for geothermal power plants and expects that the projects at Chacana and Chachimbiro could be online as early as 2017.
Reported yesterday from South America, the Ecuadorian state power generation holding company Celec expects to see its first geothermal power operation to start operation in 2017. The announcement comes after the inauguration of a wind farm project in the country and a first major step into the renewable energy field for the ocmpany.
The company also looks at geothermal energy and has initiated studies that identified a number of prospects. Among those prospects for geothermal energy production are Alcedo (150 MW), Chacana (318 MW), Chachimbiro (113 MW), Chalpatán (51 MW), Chalupas (283 MW) and Tufino (138 MW).
Celec currently focuses its efforts in development on Chacana in the provinces of Napo and Pichincha, and Chachimbiro and Tufino in Imbabura province.
Chacana and Chachimbiro could be the first geothermal power plants in Ecuador going online as early as January 2017, and Tufino in January 2018.
Source: BN Americas
