Magma Energy is awarded geothermal license adjoining its Maule project site
Magma Energy Corp. has been awarded the 100,000 hectare Pellado property, adjoining its Maule property upon which Magma previously reported a 140 megawatt (“MW”) Inferred Resource.
In a release by the company, “Magma Energy Corp. (TSX: MXY) announces that it has been awarded the 100,000 hectare Pellado property, 300 km south of Santiago, by the Government of Chile. Pellado adjoins the Maule property upon which Magma previously reported a 140 megawatt (“MW”) Inferred Resource.
Slim hole drilling and a magnetotelluric geophysical program carried out by Magma in 2009 discovered a large heat anomaly (the “Mariposa Geothermal Resource”) that straddles the Pellado and Maule properties. Magma’s consultant, Sinclair Knight Mertz (“SKM”), estimates that Mariposa contains an Inferred Resource of 320 MW of electrical generation capacity, including the previously reported 140 MW Inferred Resource. In July 2009, Magma submitted a geothermal development plan for a 50 MW power project at the Maule property, approval of which is pending.
Magma is currently completing a 13 km access road that will enable additional drilling to commence in February, 2010. The US$15 million 2010 exploration program will include two wells on each of the Pellado and, when granted, Maule properties, plus related work.
Ross Beaty, Magma Energy’s Chairman and CEO, commented, “Award of the Pellado property now allows Magma to aggressively explore and develop the Mariposa Geothermal Resource. This major geothermal discovery by our outstanding Chilean exploration team increases Magma’s attributable geothermal resources to 784 MW, in addition to Magma’s producing reserves of 86 MW. This is a great start to what I expect will be another successful year of large scale geothermal discovery and development for Magma.”
Source: Company release via Earth Times