| Title | Ecuadorian Geothermal Association (AGE): towards holistic development of Geothermal energy in Ecuador |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matilde Urquizo, Mateo Acosta, Andres Lloret |
| Year | 2023 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | geothermal association, ecuador, south america |
| Abstract | Located in an extremely favorable geodynamic setting, crisscrossed by tens of active volcanoes, Ecuador’s large geothermal potential remains untapped. Geothermal exploration began in the 1970’s and has been on-and-off for around 5 decades, despite the recognition of several thousand MWe potential power production from surface data and preliminary explorations. Ecuador’s new electricity master plan has set high enthalpy geothermal energy to play a significant role for the country’s ambitious expansion of the generation and transmission park by 2027. In addition, shallow geothermal resources and direct uses are extremely valuable, yet untapped resources that can play a major role in this thermal country's sustainable energy mix. Finally, Ecuador’s oil producing history has developed a wide industrial and academic workforce with the knowledge and expertise needed to develop a solid geothermal industry albeit slight modifications in the oil and gas workflows. Despite all this, Geothermal energy is still not seen as an actor in the renewable energy mix, and it is out of sight among the Ecuadorian society, industry, academia, and political decisions. Funded as a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, in 2022, the Ecuadorian Geothermal Association (AGE) aims to promote research and sustainable use of geothermal resources through the dissemination, construction and strengthening of national and international exchange networks. It targets the public, private and academic sectors to contribute to environmental sustainability, energy security and social equity in Ecuador under the values of cooperation, gender equality and respect for nature. The core members of the association belong to widely different backgrounds (Oil and Gas industry, Power companies, Academia, Construction companies, Legal associates, Social/Environmental professionals, Consultants, etc..). These members work collectively along several main objectives that aim to strengthen a holistic development of Geothermal energy in Ecuador, supporting fundamental aspects that are: 1) Networking and synergy creation between actors; 2) Diffusion of information and capacity building; 3) Project incubation; 4) Assistance with policy-making and development of regulations; among others. As the world starts to view Geothermal energy as an important actor in the energy transition, AGE aims at being the official voice and memory of Geothermal energy in Ecuador. This, by using a holistic approach that addresses technical, environmental, social, legal, and political problematics in synergy. |