TOPIC 'Geothermal Energy' on Nov 26, 2008 (CET)
Philippine Mountain Island Expected To Have 100 MW Of Geothermal Energy
Envent Holding Philippines, Inc., whose chief shareholders are two Icelandic firms, has announced that progress is coming along nicely on the exploration being performed at the Biliran Geothermal Development Project. Biliran is an island situated atop a compound volcano that last erupted, the only time it has erupted, in 1939. It is believed to be a hotbed of geothermal activity and, therefore, have geothermal resources available to provide a source of energy.
Envent has several geothermal projects in progress throughout the Philippines. The corporation has the goal of helping the Philippine government reach its objective of adding 1,200 MW of renewable energy sources to the country’s energy base by the year 2013. Subcontractors partnered on the Biliran project are Phoenix Geophysics of Canada and Fedco of the Philippines. Over 200 geochemical and electromagnetic measurements will be taken to approximate the location of steam under the ground’s surface. The total results and analysis are expected in March 2009. If the data and numbers prove positive and substantial, plans for constructing a geothermal power plant will move forward.
The Iceland businesses involved, Geysir Green Energy and Reykjavik Energy Invest, are leaders in alternative and renewable energy sources, especially with respect to geothermal activity. The country of Iceland has very impressive statistics with 100 percent of their power comes from renewable resources: 77 percent from hydro energy sources and 23 percent from geothermal sources.
Biliran, in the Eastern Visayas area of the country, has an optimal connection with the national power grid. Biliran is just a short distance from the island of Leyte.
By conducting these tests and research on the suspected areas of geothermal activity, a reduction in risk occurs that will empower developers and investors to more easily and securely commit financial resources to the project. If successful, this venture will provide benefits for all involved, not the least of which will be area residents experiencing cheaper energy costs and the environment incurring cleaner use of resources.
Sherry Irvin
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany
