News
Untapped Geothermal Potential
Source: Nacion.com
Monday, January 10, 2011
Costa Rica spent in 2010 $ 164 million in oil to generate electricity, while it wastes 1,000 MW of geothermal potential.
According to current legal framework and planning, the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad expects to generate 4,018 megawatts by the year 2016, of which only 35 MW will come from geothermal sources; it represents only 2% of the total. The 35 MW will be contributed by the Pailas Geothermal Power Plant, expected to enter production in 2012.
Considering Costa Rica´s vast underground geothermal potential Nacion.com states on its editorial that, "The dogmatic rejection to use the geothermal energy inside national parks, which was established long ago, is an ecological contradiction and an economic madness." It also emphasizes, "…….for years, ICE insists on their desire and need to exploit geothermal energy, but the Legislature has been unable to respond to such urgency by not approving the necessary legal framework. If it had, the country would at least have 1,000 megawatts of additional power generation to replace fossil fuel burning."