Geothermal energy, the largest renewable source in Nicaragua

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Feb. 25, 2014 - PRLog -- Nicaragua’s northwest region has been recently highlighted due to its important geothermal energy production. The San Jacinto Tizate plant, from the Canadian consortium Polaris energy, operates in the city of León and according to the Nicaraguan Energy Institute (INE, for its acronym in Spanish) by September 2013 the plant had a nominal capacity of 77 MW, which is the maximum power demanded by the plant during normal use, and an effective capacity of 49 MW.

Nicaragua has an installed geothermal capacity of 164.50 MW, according to INE. The main electricity generation source in the country is geothermic energy (16.7 percent), followed by wind power (14.87 percent), hydroelectric (12.16 percent) and biomass (7.25 percent).

Additionally, the Ormat Momotombo Power Company, one of the most studied fields in Nicaragua since 1966, has a nominal capacity of 77.50 MW and an effective capacity of 28 MW, according to official information from INE. The Government of Nicaragua through the 2013-2027 Energy Generation Expansion Plan, projects that after 2015 the plant will stabilize at 15 MW.

Since 2007, Nicaragua has been actively working for the generation of geothermal energy. According to the Minister of Energy and Mines of Nicaragua (MEM, for its acronym in Spanish) production during that year was 27 percent and it has continued to increase throughout the years. By 2012, the geothermal production reached 41 percent. “In 2013, we achieved a renewable energy generation of 51 percent (…) 10 points above 2012,” stated Emilio Rappaccioli, Minister of MEM.

In 2013, the peak energy demand in the country reached 629 MW. According to projections of MEM, the demand in 2014 will grow to 655.3 MW. By 2020, it is estimated that the demand for energy in Nicaragua will increase to 840 MW, according to calculations based on factors such as the country’s population growth and GDP growth. As part of the government’s strategy to change Nicaragua’s energy matrix and increase energy supply between 2007 and 2013, more than US$1,182 million have been invested in the sector, US$919 million specifically in renewable resources.