Bolivia’s Laguna Colorada geothermal project will get assistance from Nicaragua to install an initial 50 MW plant by 2019. According to Ernesto Martinez, CEO of Nicaraguan power company Empresa Nicaraguense de Electricidad (ENEL), Nicaragua is ready to share 32 years of experience in geothermal energy development with the South American state. At a recent meeting of the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), Martinez said that the project to develop the Laguna Colorada field in the Potosi department is part of a partnership between the two countries that will allow Nicaragua to pursue interests for oil and gas exploration and production in Bolivia.
Expertise from Nicaragua, which has installed at least 170 MW of geothermal capacity, will help Bolivia to plan installation for 400 MW of capacity projected over the next five years. The Bolivian project will include 50 MW solar parks in Oruro and Potosi, wind energy in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, the 48-MW La Ventolera wind project in Tarija and hydro plants, said Deputy Electricity Minister Hortensia Jimenez.
To read more about geothermal in Bolivia, click here.
