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Icelandic Built Geothermal Plant Operating in El Salvador
Binary power plant in El Salvador built by Enex for geothermal utility LaGeo is in operation.
A geothermal binary power plant, engineered and constructed under an EPCM contract by Icelandic geothermal company Enex for LaGeo in El Salvador is operating at full capacity. The power plant generates 9.3 MW of renewable energy and is the first geothermal power plant fully engineered and constructed by an Icelandic company outside of Iceland.
The power plant generates 9.3 MW of electricity at full capacity. All tests have been completed and the plant has entered a one year service guarantee period. The contract with LaGeo, worth over 13 million USD (1.6 billion ISK) was performed in close cooperation with LaGeo, which undertook a large portion of the civil works.
Icelandic Engineering at Work in El Salvador
The contract was tendered by the local geothermal utility and operator LaGeo in El Salvador, under which Enex performed the engineering, procurement, construction and project management. Enex hired local engineering consultant Sertiproi and Icelandic engineering consultants VGK (now Mannvit), Rafteikning and Fjarhitun (now Verkis) as subcontractors for various sections of the contract. Enex also carried out all tests, commissioning and training for LaGeo's staff.
Generating Electricity from Low-Temperature Geothermal Water
The power plant is located at the Berlin geothermal area in El Salvador, where two existing flash-steam power plants are producing close to 100 MW. The binary power plant uses conventional ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) technology that alternately vaporizes and condenses a working fluid. The working fluid flows in a closed loop and is circulated and re-used constantly. At the Berlin Binary Plant the working fluid is isopentane. The plant is a bottoming cycle binary plant that uses brine from two separators. The yield is ~300 kg/s and the temperature of the brine is 185°C. The heat exchangers are of shell and tube design with two units of pre-heaters and re-boilers. The binary plant enables 100% re-injection of the geothermal brine, which maintains the sustainability of the reservoir. Condensate from the two larger plants is used as make up water for the cooling tower.
“This project has built up valuable experience within the organization in terms of oversees project management and how to work in a different cultural environment, both of which will prove very helpful in future projects” says Sigurdur Leopoldsson, Enex's Project Manager.
“This is a real milestone for the export of Icelandic geothermal know-how, which clearly demonstrates the geothermal industry is something to build upon. Active geothermal project development in Iceland for the last 10 years and the coinciding development of new and improved technology has created a solid base for export of know-how that has become a valuable asset, especially since geothermal energy is a recognized part of the renewable energy mix.” says Thor Gislason, CEO of Enex.
Geysir Green Energy holds 96% of shares in Enex.