| Title | Geothermal Energy for Mining in Chile: Current Situation and Opportunities |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea DIXON, Masami NAKAGAWA |
| Year | 2016 |
| Conference | Stanford Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | Geothermal, Energy, Chile, Pampa Apacheta, Cerro Colorado, Curacautín, Mining |
| Abstract | Chile is a country with considerable geothermal potential but has had limited development. Considering the world’s interest in renewable or alternative energy sources, geothermal energy should be better recognized as a safe, low impact and constant source of clean energy in Chile. The country is known for its high mining activities whose operations continuously depend on conventional fossil fuels. The purpose of this work is to show the current energy landscape of Chile, and explore the benefits of geothermal energy for powering mining operations. Currently, there are two geothermal projects at Pampa Apacheta and Curacautín in Chile, which will feed the country’s grid. When completed in 2017, the Cerro Pabellón plant in Pampa Apacheta will be the first geothermal plant in South America with an installed capacity of 48 MW. The Curacautín geothermal project is expected to provide 70 MW of electricity starting in 2018. Today, 12% of the country’s energy comes from renewable sources, but no geothermal plant delivers energy into the Chilean grid system. The lack of geothermal power production has mainly been due to a weak regulatory framework. The authors point out that mines and geothermal sites can be found in close proximity, especially in northern Chile where many mining sites are located. Energy consumptions of mines are high, for example, approximately of 2.84 MWh per metric ton of copper ore for SX cathodes and 1.98 MWh per metric ton of copper ore for concentrates. Geothermal power plants could help supply the energy requirements for energy intensive mining processes and their facilities. |