Costa Rica launches 55-MW Las Pailas II geothermal power plant

Costa Rican government-run power company Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) inaugurated on Tuesday the 55-MW Las Pailas II geothermal power plant in the country’s Guanacaste province.

Las Pailas II, the seventh geothermal power plant in Costa Rica, will produce an estimated 410 GWh per year, which is enough to meet the average annual demand of some 137,000 households. Construction began in April 2013, and the power plant has been injecting power into the national grid since June 4, ICE said.

The financing for the USD-335-million (EUR 301m) project was provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

With Las Pailas II in operation, Costa Rica’s installed geothermal capacity is lifted to 262 MW.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.9)

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