Wednesday, February 15, 2017

South Korea: 1.2 MW Geothermal Power Plant Could be Ready by April

Geothermal Power Plant is a First for Korea (The Korea Bizwire)

Development of a megawatt-capacity enhanced geothermal system (EGS) on non-volcanic grounds will be the first of its kind in Asia

Electricity generated from geothermal energy will soon be distributed to South Korean households for the first time in history. 

The electricity will come from Pohang, a city on the southeast coast of the Korean Peninsula, which has been making use of geothermal energy some four kilometers below the surface of the earth in the town of Heunghae. 

Officials said regions in Pohang were found to have the optimal conditions for generating geothermal electricity, with some reaching 180 degrees Celsius at a depth of five kilometers. 

The 1.2-MW project will be completed by April, and is expected to provide electricity to some 1,000 households as early as the latter half of 2017, if not by next year, officials said. 

Upon the first successful supply of geothermal electricity, officials will raise an additional 80 billion won in investment through a power plant consortium to expand the current facility to generate 6.2 MW by 2019.

Background and Progress of the Korean EGS Pilot Project (Paper submitted to WGC 2015)

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