Laguna Colorada geothermal project moving ahead in Bolivia
Laguna Colorada, Bolivia (source: flickr/ rewbs.soal, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
7 Dec 2016
Early exploration work on the Laguna Colorada geothermal project in Bolivia, near the border of Chile, is expected to start early 2017.
Efforts on the development of up to 100 MW in geothermal power generation capacity at the Laguna Colorada geothermal project in Bolivia are expected to move forward in early 2017.
With the support of ICE from El Salvador, we reported on a partnership before, early exploration work is expected to start, with likely a small scale plant first.
The Laguna Colorada geothermal projects is part of an ambitious plan of the Bolivian government to diversify its energy mix. The plant could provide electricity to meet local demand, but also to mining companies in the region. The site is located at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level, near the border with Chile, and would require a transmission line of up to 140 km and could export electricity to neighbouring countries.
The overall development potential is described at 100 MW with a required investment of $613 million. Funding will largely come from international donors and financial institutions, including JICA, which we have reported on before.
If everything goes according to plan, the first geothermal could be produced on site in 2019.
