| Abstract |
Nicaragua is part of the Ring of Fire, its geothermal potential has been only partially exploited, mainly for electricity generation. With an agriculture-based economy, most of the country farmers are exposed to weather risks associated with the Climate Change, the past and present decade have shown the effects of this phenomenon, especially through severe and extended droughts. The western region, where are located the main geothermal electricity generation companies, due to its several active volcanoes, has the most fertile lands of Nicaragua, but also it is part of the Dry Zone, where the agriculture focuses in to produce only basic grains (subsistence level). There is not a strong interaction between geothermal energy producers and local economies, besides the jobs associated to cleaning and maintenance, many geothermal industry workers live in near cities or commute to Managua, thus local economies have not strong dynamic effects of geothermal energy production. Government´s geological studies reveal that there are still locations in the region for future geothermal projects, the national government works in attracting new investors in electricity generation. Alternative uses of geothermal energy, especially the low enthalpy, are very scarce, there are geothermal baths in some locations, but other productive uses like drying, cooling, and heating processes for agriproducts, small industries, and services, have not been included in the national development projects portfolio. Current geothermal electricity producers, facing that their permits and contracts are near to end in less than a decade, have been trying to optimize their energy production systems, but the current legal frame has some limits about it. Companies have proposed to add second cycles to their electricity production processes, but their proposals have been denied by national government authorities, arguing that these actions require new permits and contracts. Due to this refusal, geothermal companies are looking for extended impacts with local communities, pursuing to achieve favorable lobby in order to obtain the permits´ renewal, some of them of 40 years long. With this in mind, it is possible to promote strategic alliances between geothermal electricity producers and neighbor communities in order to use productively the residual energy of the electricity generation processes; of course, with the participation of local and national authorities in the matters of required legal changes. This possibility demands to analyze the spatial distribution of producers, their current and potential productive activities and logistics, and the design of drying, cooling, and heating industrial parks, conveniently ubicated next to the geothermal production sites and electricity plants. Economic dynamics of these relationships would not only remain into the western region, but would affect neighbor regions, benefiting thousands of families; additionally, other sectors like hospitality, tourism, dried foods, fishery, and man crafted workshops would have new opportunities to grow up. |