San Jacinto--The First Five Years

Abstract

The first 10 MW plant entered production service at San Jacinto in Nicaragua in July 2005. This plant, comprising 2 x 5 MW back pressure steam turbines, was installed as a commercial demonstration plant, and in that role has been a resounding success. Because of caution on the part of investors regarding progressive capital investment in the project and in Nicaragua, a number of features of a long term optimized project were purposely omitted from the initial construction. This paper will discuss the rationale behind the initial development decisions and the subsequent operation of the plant and the reservoir, including improvements that were made to ensure that the plant is now fully capable of delivering its rated capacity, plus a little higher. Some interesting experiences were encountered and some important lessons learned.