Bolivia wants to attract new geothermal talent
FLICKR/ RICHD777, CREATIVE COMMONS
Francisco Rojas
6 Sep 2013
The President remarks the importance of having geothermal specialists at their disposal
The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, stressed the importance of having specialists in the field of geothermal energy.
Morales considered that such scientists are needed in his closing the VI International Forum of Gas and Energy organized by the Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons (CBH) in the city of Santa Cruz.
“In here, fellow Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons, I wanted to tell you, we would like to have as a government and as a state, a group of scientists and experts on geothermal energy tell us how much is this going to cost us”, Argued the president.
Geothermal energy is obtained by tapping the heat from inside the Earth. The Head of State reported that the country has made advances in such energy projects, like Robore (Santa Cruz), Laguna Colorada (Potosi) and Sajama (Oruro).
According to data provided by the Head of State, 70% of electricity is generated by thermoelectric power plants and the remaining 30% in hydro. Morales revealed that in the country there are no professionals in geothermal energy, therefore relying international experts who “charge too much” and do not share their scientific knowledge. “This is the major problem we have as a government,” he added. The President said that in order to avoid these deficiencies it is important to think of a technological liberation in Bolivia and the region. “For this we need men and women of great scientific knowledge,” he said.
