Enel Green Power (EGP) has won three geothermal exploration concessions in Chile, following the launch of a tender in June 2010 by the Ministry of Energy.
The first concession – Colorado – covers 16,800ha in the region of Antofagasta, 1,000 km north of Santiago.
The second concession, known as San José I, covers 74,801ha and is located about 50km east of Santiago, while the third concession -Yeguas Muertas – spreads over an area of 74,101ha and is situated between the Metropolitan and the O'Higgins regions.
Enel Green Power chief executive officer Francesco Starace said, "Enel Green Power is the pioneering company in geothermal exploration in Chile, with the drilling of wells at more than 4,500 meters of altitude, in extreme climatic conditions, that have confirmed the presence of a very good geothermal flux."
Enel Green Power subsidiary Geotermica del Norte will begin the construction of the first 40MW geothermal plant named Cerro Pabellón in Antofagasta South America.
The company, together with its other subsidiary Empresa Nacional de Geotermia, holds eight geothermal concessions in the nation.
Currently, Enel Green Power has a geothermal installed capacity of about 775MW between Italy and North America.
It is also developing further geothermal projects in Italy, the US, Turkey and Central America.
