An agreement signed by the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE), Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE) and the ministry's Guanacaste Conservation Area (ACG) will allow for exploration of resources to produce geothermal energy in the community of Mundo Nuevo, in the northwestern Guanacaste province, according to ICE spokeswoman Rose Mary Monge.
“Now that the agreement is signed, we're able to initiate the research phase to see if there's the potential to build a geothermal plant in the area,” Monge said, explaining that no dates have been set for when the research phase will conclude.
The project is part of efforts by Costa Rica to become the first country to achieve a neutral balance of carbon emissions, such as carbon dioxide, to curb the greenhouse effect, according to a statement from ICE.
The agreement spells out the responsibilities of ICE and MINAE in the research; MINAE must make sure the region's biodiversity is protected, and ICE will carry out technical aspects, the statement said.
“We have abundant natural resources, but perhaps the nation is a bit behind in using them to serve the country 100%,” said ICE president Pedro Pablo Quirós, explaining his goal to make better use of natural resources for alternative forms of energy.
Costa Rica's geothermal production is concentrated near the Miravalles Volcano, also in Guanacaste, where five plants produce a total of 163.5 megawatts of electricity. ICE is developing another geothermal power project in Las Pailas, near Guancaste's Rincón de la Vieja Volcano, which is expected to begin functioning in 2010. |
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