Geo-environmental aspects for the development of Las Pailas deothermal field, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Abstract

Las Pailas is located in a very special zone where different social-economic activities, natural conditions, and an important geothermal resource converge. All the geoscientific environmental and economic-social information available support the exploitation of this resource and the construction of a geothermal power plant of 35 MWe. It is a necessity and a possibility, with continuous and careful monitoring as well as varied necessary mitigating measures, to take advantage of the geothermal resource that is immersed within an area of special ecological context. Following the philosophy and the guidelines for sustainable development should be the door to future geothermal operations within protected zones like national parks and natural reserves. Geothermal exploitation is a very good opportunity for ICE (Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) and for the country.