| Abstract |
In Honduras, the geothermal resources has been evaluated mainly for electricity production purposes, by the national utility, with emphasis on medium size projects to be interconnected to the national grid. Currently Honduras has a maximum electrical consumption approaching 3.5 TWh/year, which has been increasing at an average rate of 10% annually. Hurricane Mitch was a devastating blow to the economy and has temporarily slowed the energy demands. However, it is anticipated that the growth rate will resume as soon as the agricultural sector, which is the larger consumer of electricity in the country, restructures itself. Honduras has an install capacity of 883.8 MW of electrical power, consisting of roughly 50% of hydropower, with the majority supplied by the Francisco Moraz·n (El CajÛn) facility (300 MW) and approximately 43.1% of the remaining 50% of the thermal capacity is provided by the private sector. More than 90% of electrical power was generated via hydroelectric means until 1993. However, economical and financial problems of the national utility prevented the expansion of the country's hydroelectric install capacity. To keep the average growth of the demand, and taking in consideration that only the 50% of the population has access of the electricity now, Honduras needs strategies for installing power plants using all its the available resources. Therefore, Geothermal sources can be implemented if an adequate policy of promotion is establish. |