It is expected that by 2018, geothermal energy will be contributing 800 MW to the Central Interconnected System (SIC) through the Laguna del Maule and San Gregorio geothermal plants. Meanwhile, in the Northern Interconnected System (SING) it is expected that Apacheta pampa, Surire and Puchuldiza plants will contribute 700 MW once they are connected and if the power they produced is pumped into the electricity grid rather than being consumed by major new mining projects.
Allendes affirmed that "once the geothermal resource and its economic viability has been verified, operating investments could easily reach between $60 and 80 million (€47 and 63 million) for each 40 MW plant". Chilean, foreign and multinational capital will be procured to fund these investments.
"The right conditions prevail today to make geothermal power generation viable," said the President of Achegeo, adding that there are also opportunities still to be exploited in, for example, “the domestic and industrial scale markets through incentives to install low-temperature geothermal heat pumps and the use of hot thermal waters for heating".
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