Int’l consortium agrees on first geothermal power project in Chile

Tolhuaca geothermal field, Chile (source: Transmark Renewables)

In collaboration, Dutch Transmark Renewables and Icelandic partners GEG and North Tech Energy will progress with the modular development of the Adobera geothermal project, within the Peumayén geothermal concession located in Southern Chile as announced by the companies.

Transmark Chile, a subsidiary of Dutch Transmark Renewables, initially secured an exploration license for the Peumayén concession in early 2018. They prepared a comprehensive development plan after carefully evaluating available data from earlier exploratory activities on the flanks of the Tolhuaca volcano, and after completing additional studies and fieldwork. Transmark Chile was then granted a geothermal exploitation license which allowed for the development of the project. Earlier this year, the project company, Adobera SpA, secured co-financing of 9.8M EUR through the GDF facility funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the development bank KfW.

Now, Transmark and its Icelandic partners have established a joint venture to go ahead with the ambitious development plan for the project.

After the confirmation drilling campaign set to take place next year, the initial development plan foresees a modular approach of the first power plant with a power generation capacity of up to 3 MWe, planned to be operating with a start date in 2023 – within less than three years from the initial reconnaisance studies –  and 9MWe with a start date in 2024.

This new partnership builds upon its partners’ extensive experience in geothermal development. Earlier this year, Transmark Renewables started commercial operation of a 3.2 MW geothermal power plant in Canakkale, Turkey. The company has additional geothermal development projects in Turkey and Chile, and is exploring the potential for development in the Netherlands. Icelandic geothermal development company GEG has successfully designed, developed, and commissioned 16 geothermal power plants in Kenya and Iceland, with a combined power generation capacity of 86 MW. North Tech Energy has been involved in numerous geothermal projects in Iceland, Rwanda, the Philippines and Indonesia, providing drilling and related services, and is advancing its project development in Indonesia.

Transmark Renewables – “We are looking forward to working with our Icelandic partners building upon their great experience in drilling and geothermal power plant development. Our combined experience and skills are going to help in the development of our Adobera geothermal project,” says Frederik Kam, CEO of Transmark Renewables.

GEG – “With our step into wider international geothermal development beyond the supply and construction of our geothermal wellhead power plant solution, we are glad to partner with Transmark Renewables and NTE. We believe that our approach to a modular development will help to push a fast development of the exciting Tolhuaca project,” says Sigthor Jónsson, CEO of GEG.

NTE – “Chile with its great geothermal resources provides a great opportunity for us to spread our work that has focused so far on Southeast Asia and Africa. We are very much looking forward working with our partners Transmark Renewables and GEG. These are exciting times and we are proud to be part of this joint venture at Tolhuaca and beyond in the future,” says Geir Hagalínsson, CEO of North Tech Energy.

Transmark Renewables is an international family-owned company with its headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It specializes in the development of renewable geothermal energy projects internationally. The company has an operating geothermal power plant in Canakkale, Turkey, and several geothermal licenses and projects under development in Chile, Turkey, and the Netherlands.

The operations and development of its Chilean projects are run by Transmark’s Chilean subsidiary, Transmark Chile.

GEG Power is an Icelandic geothermal development company with a strong experience in delivering turn-key geothermal power plant solutions from wellhead to transmission line connection. The company has a strong experience in the design, engineering, delivery, and construction of 16 geothermal power plants in Kenya and Iceland. With the development and delivery of 85.6 MW in modular geothermal wellhead power plants, the company has been a pioneer in faster development of geothermal projects, and of a modular development approach providing flexibility in the funding of projects and further build out.

North Tech Energy (NTE) is a geothermal drilling and services firm with its headquarter in Iceland, a daughter company in Indonesia, and operations in Africa. The company is uniquely specialised in standard and slim well drilling for both exploration and production purposes.

Source: Company release by email