www.ebizguides.com
114
Energy
manages other geothermic fields, such as San
Vicente and Chinameca that are in a study phase.
INE produces 7% of the total energy of the country,
LaGEO 24% and CEL 26% for a total of 1200 MW
installed capacity.
INE benefits from the Kyoto Protocol of carbon
credits. They are a key component to national and
international attempts to mitigate the concentration
increase of greenhouse gases (GHGs). One carbon
credit is equal to one ton of Carbon Dioxide or in
some markets, to Carbon Dioxide equivalent gases.
In 2009 INE received 1.33 US million Dollars thanks
to clean power generation from the geothermic
electricity.
Following its mission to diversify into clean energy,
INE is experimenting different types of energy such
as solar, wind, thermo-solar, bio-diesel production
among others.
“INE’s vision as a company is to expand its
activities from fossil fuels to clean energy. The
current government’s duty is to make clean energy
attractive to investors. Foreign investors should
know that there is a possibility to have joint venture
companies with Salvadorans in this specific field.”
Julio Valdivieso, Executive Director
“A very interesting thing is that companies
involved in CEL group like Energy Investments
are as efficient as the private firms because we
are competing in a free market free of costs and
tariffs. Moreover, El Salvador is not an isolated
island. It belongs to the Central American Electric
Interconnection called SIEPAC, which allows El
Salvador to buy or sell energy to neighboring
countries.”
Ricardo Quiñonez, Director
LA GEO
Napoleón Guerrero
President
Col. Utila, Santa Tecla, La Libertad, San Salvador
Tel: (+503) 2211 6700
Fax: (+503) 2211 6745
Activity: Geothermal energy generator
and distributor
Date of creation: 1999
Profits: 140 US million Dollars
Employees: 515
La GEO is a mixed economic company made by
Inversiones Energeticas and the Italian ENEL
dedicated to the generation of electric energy based
on geothermal resources that arose in 1999 as part
of the decentralization of productive activities of the
Comision Ejecutiva Hidroelectrica del Rio Lempa
CEL).
Its mission and vision has the purpose of
contributing to the sustainable development of
the country and of the Central American region,
through investigation, industrialization, rational and
sustainable administration of renewable energy
resources. Activities are carried out based on a
platform of values, where social responsibility and
respect to the environment are an essential part of
the productive operations.
Worldwide electric energy generation through
geothermal exploitation is qualified as clean and
renewable energy compared to other energy sources
such as fossil fuel based responsible for liberating
the greenhouse effect gases. LaGEO maintains an
independent production free of hydrological cycles
and high fuel prices.
Low gas emission concentration to the atmosphere
during electric energy generation from geothermic
resources, are less relevant than the emanations
detected in the natural fume zones of volcanic origin
in El Salvador.
La GEO has concessions in four areas or
geothermal fields, at two of them LaGEO has
installed geothermal centrals on condensation and
the other two are in the feasibility and exploitation
phase. The two geothermal centrals are located in
the Salvadoran departments of Ahuachapán (1972)
and Berlin-Usulután (1976). The first one has an
installed capacity of 95 MW generating and average
of 58MW. Berlin has an installed capacity of 66MW
counting two condensation units of 28MW each.
Its current projects are the third unit for the Berlin
plant, as well as the experimental operations of the
Geothermal plant of San Jacinto Tizate in Nicaragua
and the development project “Ciclo Binario” that is a
system through which heat is transfered from a fluid
of higher temperature to another of less temperature
with the purpose to vaporize it and generate electricity
through the use of a generating-turbine system.