Geothermal exploration permit in Guadeloupe granted to Albioma
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The exclusive geothermal exploration permit for the Sud-Soufrière site in Guadeloupe has been granted to French company Albioma following a tender.
French renewable energy company Albioma SAS has been granted the exclusive geothermal exploration permit for the “Sud-Soufrière” site in Guadeloupe. The permit is valid for five years and encompasses all or part of the territory of the municipalities of Capesterre-Belle-Eau, Gourbeyre, Saint-Claude, Trois-Rivières, and Vieux-Fort, with an area of 62 square kilometers.
Albioma applied for the permit following a tender by the Ministry of Ecological Transition in 2021. According to the application, Albioma proposed a four-stage work program which includes the analysis of existing data, surface exploration campaigns, data interpretation and modeling, exploration drilling, and evaluation of whether there is a high-temperature geothermal reservoir in the study area. Albioma cited CFG, GeothermEx, and SLB as external service providers for the work program.
It is noted, however, that the current permit does give the applicant the right to carry out drilling. This will have to applied for separately and is subject to environmental authorization by the Guadeloupe prefecture. As required by the Environment Charter, several public consultation session were held as part of the permitting process from 2022 to 2025.
This is now the third exclusive geothermal permit awarded to Albioma, following permits in Mayotte and Reunion Island. Guadeloupe is also the site of the 15.5-MW Bouillante geothermal power plant, which was acquired by Ormat Technologies back in 2016.