The project is for Bolivian power company Ende Corporación and includes detailed engineering, the supply of equipment and materials, construction and start-up.
It will be built at an altitude of 4,980m and is claimed to be the world’s highest geothermal plant.
The Laguna Colorada pilot plant aims to assess the geothermal reserves of the area, which is located in the south of the country. The pilot project will pave the way for the eventual construction of a 100MW generation plant in the same geothermal field, which aims to provide electricity to local communities that currently are without.
Electricity generation through geothermal energy is a strategic policy for Bolivia as part of its plan to help undersupplied rural areas, as well as to become a net energy exporter.
The scheme consists of a binary cycle geothermal plant, which uses 132,000kg/h of geothermal fluid at 170°C to generate 5.6MW of electricity. The fluid is later returned to the geothermal reservoir by means of reinjection into a well located 1.5km from the plant.
Construction is expected to take 24 months.
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