Geothermal power plants in El Salvador
The geothermal power plants in El Salvador are located at two locations in Ahuachapan and Berlin . In both places are geothermal power plants operated that have currently approximately 204.4 MW of installed capacity, which is about 25 percent of its electricity into the public power grid (as of May 2013) feed.
history
The operator of the power plants is the former state-owned company LaGeo . Both high-enthalpy deposits are located in formerly active volcanic regions in El Salvador. There is water at several hundred degrees at a shallow depth. The closed circuit in the circulation system is so pressurized that the injected water is prevented from boiling and the steam is only generated at the turbine ( expansion evaporation ).
Central Geotérmica de Ahuachapan
With the 95 MW power plant near the city of Ahuachapan, industrial power generation from geothermal energy began in El Salvador in 1975.
Central Geotérmica de Berlin
In 1992 the power plant in Berlin with 56.2 MW was put into operation. In 2007 it was expanded by 44 MW and in 2009 by a further 9.2 MW, so that the Berlin location today has a generation capacity of 109.4 MW. This facility is located in the area of the extinct Pelón volcano. At a depth of only 1200 meters there are large quantities of water at 330 degrees Celsius.
planning
Further high enthalpy potentials are currently being developed in San Vicente and Chinameca . A total of 12 wells with a depth of between 1,100 and 2,600 meters were drilled across the country. LaGeo is responsible for the development of geothermal energy in the country of El Salvador. The figure shows the location of the existing power plants as well as the potential of the 12 areas with high geothermal energy that are suitable for electricity production. Among these 12 locations in El Salvador, the magma is relatively close to the surface. This hot magma increases the temperature of the ground so much that the geothermal energy can be used economically.
| Measurement location with high geothermal energy |
Temperature (average in ° C) |
Use / performance | location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahuachapan | Power plant in operation 95 MW | 13 ° 55 ′ 13 ″ N , 89 ° 49 ′ 2 ″ W. | |
| Berlin | Power plant in operation 109.4 MW | 13 ° 30 '10.5 " N , 88 ° 31' 6.2" W. | |
| San Vincente | Power plant in planning 180 MW | ||
| Chinameca | Power plant in planning 110 MW | ||
| San Lorenzo | Test drilling | ||
| Chipilapa | |||
| Caluco | |||
| Coatepeque | |||
| Chambala | |||
| Chilanquera | |||
| Olomega | |||
| Conchagua |
Data Source:
According to the government, the investigated geothermal potential is estimated at around 790 MW (as of 2009). Since the installed electricity generation from geothermal capacities in El Salvador is currently 204.4 MW, the share of the installed capacity in relation to the geothermal potential is only about 25.8% exhausted.
Web links
- Energía Geotérmica Consejo Nacional de Energia (Spanish, with integrated spherical translator)
- Homepage LaGeo (spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wind Power Journal
- ↑ Website Central Geotérmica de Ahuachapan ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Website Central Geotérmica de Berlín ( Memento of the original from January 5, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ El Congreso de Energía Geotérmica en la Edificación y la Industria, GEOENER 2010, March 10 and 11, 2010 in Madrid.
