The company GeoGlobal Energy Chile announced the successful exploration of a high enthalpy geothermal well in Tolhuaca volcano, in the Araucania region (715km south of Santiago), which would make it the first company to make such a project in the continent. The Chilean company announced that it has successfully completed the first exploration phase of the project called Curacautín, located on the volcano’s northwestern slopes.
Flow tests which lasted for more than 45 days, showed that the production and reinjection wells are capable of sustaining commercial production of clean non pollutant electricity.
GeoGlobal Energy Chile has been conducting geothermal exploration work actively in Tolhuaca volcano for over three years and will continue to explore and develop the project in the area, including drilling, engineering and design, permitting and construction of the power generating plant and transmission lines-with the goal of generating electricity as early as 2014. Currently, there are no geothermal power plants operating in South America, and the development of geothermal energy reserves of Chile is a declared priority for the government.
The geothermal production well Tol-4 was drilled to a depth of 2,300 meters and is producing high temperature steam that is capable of generating up to 12 MW of electricity, enough to supply the electricity needs of about 45,000 Chilean households. It is the most productive geothermal well drilled to date in Chile or any other country in South America. Meanwhile, the reinjection well, called Tol-3, whose drilling reached 2,575 meters, is capable of safely mainstreaming all geothermal fluid remaining from operations within the highest level of environmental protection.
“The discovery of a commercially exploitable geothermal field is an important milestone for geothermal energy in Chile,” says Gregory Raasch, executive vice president and co-founder of GeoGlobal Energy, who has spent his entire career leading exploration projects and geothermal energy development programs
worldwide. “This project demonstrates that geothermal energy can be an important part of the Chilean electricity system providing clean and reliable electricity.
