Geothermal - European Renewable Energy Council

Geothermal electricity in Europe
As far as geothermal electricity is concerned
the vast majority of eligible resources, in
Continental Europe at large, is concentrated
in Italy, Iceland and Turkey; the presently
exploited potential represents so far 0.3% of the
whole renewable energy market.
There are two major geothermal areas in Italy,
Larderello-Travale/Radicondoli and Monte Amiata
respectively, achieving a 810 MW e
installed
capacity.
They represent two neighbouring parts of the
same deep seated field, spreading over a huge,
ca 400 km 2 , area, which produces superheated
steam. On the Larderello side the exploited area
and installed capacity amount to 250 km 2 and
562 MW e
respectively. On the Travale/Radicondoli
side, to the Southeast, the installed capacity is
160 MW e
and the exploited area 50 km 2 . The
steam condensates recovered from Travale are
reinjected into the core of the Larderello field,
via a 20 km long water pipeline.
The Monte Amiata area, in Northern Latium,
includes two water dominated geothermal fields,
Piancastagnaio and Bagnore. On both fields a deep
resource has been identified under the shallow
producing horizons. Weak social acceptance from
the local communities are slowing down the full
development of the promising, high potential, deep
reservoir. Presently, five units are operating, one in
Bagnore and four in Piancastagnaio, totalling a 88
MWe installed capacity. Projects, adding a further
100 MWe capacity, have been commissioned and
will be completed in the near future.
Geothermal resources in Iceland relate to the active
volcanic environment of the island, located on
the mid-Atlantic ridge and its sea floor spreading
attributes. Iceland has proved a leading country
in direct uses of geothermal energy, mainly in
greenhouse and district heating (89% of the total
domestic heating demand) and is increasing its
electricity production which reached (@2006) a
420 MW e
installed capacity. Although significant
this capacity ought to be compared to the huge
potential of the island, estimated at ca 4000 MW e
,
a figure far above national power requirements,
ca 1500 MW e
, among which hydropower holds
the dominant share (1300 MW e
).
Turkey’s geothermal resources are mainly located
in Western Anatolia on the Aegean sea façade.
District heating stands presently as the most
important utilisation with 65000 heated homes.
This, in spite of mild climatic conditions which still
makes geothermal heat competitive as a result
of the high cost of electric heating, 8 to 10 times
higher than geothermal heat. Electricity production
in the Kizildere water dominated field is supplied
by a 15 MW e
design plant (start up, 1988) capacity,
actually standing at 12 MW e
. Binary plants
have been commissioned. The largest geopower
(flashed steam) plant, rated 45 MW e
, is presently
in advanced construction stage, at Germencek.
The geothermal electricity potential has been
(conservatively) estimated at 200-300 MW e
.
In Greece, high temperature geothermal resources
are located in the Aegean volcanic
island arc, in the Milos (Cyclade) and Nisyros
(Dodecanese) islands, thanks to direct drilling
and testing assessments. Electricity generation
from a 2 MW e
rated pilot plant ceased further to
the strong opposition of the local community and
mismanaged communication by the geothermal
operator. The country potential in the Aegean
archipelagos and, at a lesser extent through, in
the northern, mainland located, grabens
is estimated at ca 200 MW e
. Otherwise,
several low temperature fields are
exploited, on presently limited bases,
for greenhouse heating and process
heat applications.
In Russia, geoelectric development took
place in the Mutuovski field of Kamchatka
which, although belonging politically to
Europe, ought to be regarded as geogra-
Iceland
Krafla, Iceland
10 EGEC | Geothermal Electricity and Combined Heat & Power