WorldWide Drilling Resource

A First for Honduras Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® Ormat Technologies, Inc. is nearing completion of its 35-megawatt (MW) Platanares geothermal project in Honduras. Platanares is expected to go online this year, becoming the first geothermal power plant to operate in the country. The plant is located in the small mining village of Platanares in western Honduras, which has many hot springs flowing from several faults across the area. The location was picked based on data from geothermal reconnaissance work and a detailed study, using geochemical and geophysical tech- niques to find a site to drill an exploration well. Additional wells were drilled to a depth of sever- al hundred feet to measure thermal gradients. In December 2015, Ormat concluded drilling activity and extensive testing, which supported the decision to construct the $200 million geothermal project to a scale larger than initially estimated. It became nec- essary to drill deeper in search of reservoirs with temperatures over 390ºF (200ºC). Operating under 30-year power purchase agreements, Platanares will largely sell its power to Honduras’ National Electric Energy Company. The project forecasts an average annual revenue of approximately $33 million. Ormat CEO Isaac Angel stated, “We are pleased to announce this progress in our development pipeline. Following a prudent process of field assessment and development, and in line with our continued focus on plant optimization, we were able to increase the projected capacity of the Platanares plant to 35 MW and improve the expected returns. Another component of our long-term strategic plan is continued geographic expansion and diversification, and this project facilitates that goal. The Platanares project will be the first geothermal project in Honduras and will further expand Ormat’s global presence.” Landscape of Honduras, courtesy of Zack Clark. Foundations by: Pile Dynamics, Inc. Load Testing and Quality Control December 6 ~ ONLINE WEBINAR Integrity Testing of Concrete Foundations by Low Strain Dynamic Testing and Cross Hole Sonic Logging December 12-13 ~ ONLINE WEBINAR Pile Driving Hammer Performance December 19 ~ ONLINE WEBINAR phone: 216-831-6131 www.pile.com Irrigation by: Rain Bird Academy Training December 4-8 ~ Durham, NC December 11-15 ~ Las Vegas, NV phone: 800-498-1942 www.rainbirdservices.com Education Education Connection Education Connection cont’d on page 44. 36 NOVEMBER 2017 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®