News

Costa Rica to open 35 MW Pailas geothermal plant this month

Costa Rica to open 35 MW Pailas geothermal plant this month Miravalles V - Ormat unit, Costa Rica (source: Ormat Technologies)
Alexander Richter 19 Jul 2011

Later this month the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, will open the 35 MW Pailas geothermal power plant at the volcano Rincon de la Vieja, bringing the country's total installed geothermal power capacity to close to 200 MW.

On July 24, the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla will open the 35 MW Pailas Geothermal Power Plant, at the volcano Rincon de la Vieja.

In an article in the national newspaper, the development cost were US$221.8 million and is now in the final stages of construction. It is expected that the plant will generate enough power to supply 92,000 families.

The project was developed as part of a lease-purchase with funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) and will be operated by the Instituto Costaricense de Electricidad (ICE), but is owned by BCIE.

Five geothermal wells will fuel a 35 MW generating unit. It was planned to go online in late 2010.

Costa Rica is not a new player in the geothermal world, having begun exploration of its geothermal resources in 1963, with its first plant going online in 1994. The current installation is 163.5 MW in the Miravallas geothermal field.

Source: America Economica (in Spanish)