Costa Rica’s 55-MW geothermal project nearing completion

Part of Las Pailas II. Source: ICE (www.grupoice.com).

January 10 (Renewables Now) - Costa Rican power utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) provided an update on Wednesday on the progress of construction of the 55-MW Las Pailas II geothermal project, saying it was 93% completed as of November 2018.

Currently, the Las Pailas II project is undergoing testing for its integration into the National Electric System (SEN), with the geothermal equipment, powerhouse and transmission infrastructure being put into gear. Once fully operational by June, the geothermal power plant will be producing enough clean electricity to power 130,000 households.

The construction works on Las Pailas II, located in Curubande de Liberia, Guanacaste province, began in April 2013. The total investment in the Las Pailas II project was previously estimated at USD 333.4 million (EUR 289.1m), including financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and European Investment Bank (EIB), among others.

Once finished, this will become Costa Rica’s seventh geothermal plant, bringing the installed geothermal capacity on the SEN at 262 MW.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.87)

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