Geoenvironmental Aspects of the Development of Las Pailas Geothermal Field, Costa Rica

Abstract

Las Pailas geothermal field is located in a very special area where different socio-economic activities, natural conditions (biological-ecological and geological) and an important geothermal resource converge.
All geoscientific, environmental and social-economic information available support the exploitation of this resource and the construction of a geothermal binary power plant of 35 MWe. It is necessary and a possibility with continuous and careful monitoring as well as varied necessary mitigation measures of take advantage of the geothermal resource that is immersed within an area of special biological-ecological context.
Following the philosophy and the guidelines for sustainable development should be the door to future geothermal operations within protected zones like national parks and natural reserves in Costa Rica; actually it is impossible for legal reasons (Law of National Parks of Costa Rica).
With all environmental considerations, the geothermal exploitation is an excellent opportunity for ICE (Costa Rican Electric Company), for the country and for the Earth planet. It is a real opportunity to show that “sustainable development” is possible and Las Pailas geothermal power plant will comes an excellent example.