The consortium formed by Sacyr Industrial and Ormat has been awarded the construction of a geothermal plant in Potosí (Bolivia). The project, tendered by Bolivian power company Ende Corporación, includes detailed engineering, the supply of equipment and materials, the civil construction, assembly and start-up.
The Laguna Colorada plant is a pioneering project in South America and will become the geothermal plant located at the highest altitude in the world (4,980 meters above sea level), with the inherent challenges.
The contract amounts to 18 million dollars (16 million euros) and will be executed over 24 months.
Pilot plant
The Laguna Colorada pilot plant aims to assess the geothermal reserves of the area, located in the south of the country. This project is prior to the construction of a 100 MW generation plant in the same geothermal field, which will provide electricity to local communities that currently do not have it.
Electricity generation through geothermal energy is a strategic project for Bolivia as part of its plan to supply electricity to undersupplied rural areas, as well as to become a net energy exporter.
Technological project
The project consists of a pilot binary cycle geothermal plant, which uses 132,000 kg/h of geothermal fluid at 170°C to generate 5.6 MW of electrical energy, to later return it to the geothermal reservoir by means of reinjection into a well located at 1.5 km from the plant.
The electrical energy generated will be evacuated to the Bolivian National Interconnected System at a voltage of 230 kV.
Sacyr in Bolivia
Sacyr Industrial has a key presence in Bolivia, where it carries out the construction of the two largest and most modern cement plants in South America – Oruro and Potosí – with a budget of around 435 million euros.
Sacyr's subsidiary has also developed gas-fired power plants and gas infrastructure in the country.
