By: Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, June 27, 2022
EDC Peru has two projects (one in Arequipa and the other in Moquegua), which together add up to 1,400 megawatts ready to be strategic allies of the industry in southern Peru.
According to the Rumbo Minero portal, the country head of Energy Development Corporation (EDC Peru), Franklin Acevedo, said that they have 1400 megawatts ready to supply energy to mining operations in southern Peru.
The company currently has two geothermal projects in the south, one in Arequipa (Chumani) and the other in Moquegua (Quello Apacheta), and both 100% renewable projects represent a combined investment of US$ 1050 million.
“Both are strategically located around the country’s entire mining potential, which makes us EDC as strategic partners in Peruvian mining development,” he noted.
The executive mentioned that “the projects, in a first phase, are of 100 megawatts. However, the potential of each one of them is 700 megawatts”. “And with 1,400 megawatts in total we could supply the mining industry in the south,” he emphasized.
Given that the entire south is interconnected with mining, Acevedo said, “we are going to reach all the mines that are operating today and the new projects that come out.”
“What is transcendent is the reliability of the projects, they have a plant factor above 96% because they do not depend on water or weather to generate electricity, which makes them extremely safe and that is important for the mining industry that needs uninterrupted power,” he noted.
He also explained that the projects are very environmentally friendly, because “98% is water vapor; it is transferred through pipes to the generator, electricity is generated and injected again, making it a closed, constant and inexhaustible cycle”.
Social benefits
The country head of Energy Development Corporation (EDC Peru) stated that geothermal energy is important for the southern regions that are energy deficient. Thus, it can be used in the heating of our homes, for greenhouses, for animal breeding, among others.
Therefore, being located in the southern zone, in areas above 4500 meters above sea level, it can help solve the problem of frost. “Many years blankets are sent, but it is not known that people live on a perpetual heating source, which is geothermal energy,” he said.
On the other hand, Acevedo added that “geothermal energy can be used as a source of scientific and recreational tourism, such as the Blue Lagoon in Europe, which is a geothermal spa located southwest of Iceland. “I think the conditions are there, the need exists, but there is a lack of political will. Hopefully the government will adopt measures to promote investment in geothermal energy,” he concluded.
Source and Photo: https://www.rumbominero.com/peru/proyectos-geotermia-abastecer-energia-mineras-sur/
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