Nov 30 2010
Tuscany region in Italy continues to grow with geothermal power production. The 20 MW Chiusdino geothermal power plant in Chiusdino commune in the Siena province has commenced its power production.
The new geothermal power facility joins the Radicondoli 2, located in Radicondoli commune also in the Siena province, which commenced its power production in the early part of November 2010. With the commencement of the Chiusdino facility, the Tuscan geothermal center of Enel Green Power has become one of the largest geothermal facilities in the world with 728 MW geothermal power generation from its 35 plants.
The Chiusdino geothermal power plant has been formulated by the engineering staff employed in Enel Green Power (EGP) and built utilizing local resources and workers. The project underwent an all inclusive type of ecological impact study to maintain the local landscaping. The hundred plus years of experience gained by the company enabled it to incorporate a number of strict quality and safety measures for the plant. The 20 MW plant will be able to produce over 145 million kWh of green power, which can meet the power requirements of nearly 55,000 households and offset around 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide discharges every year. The power generated by the plant can be equated to saving of over 32,000 tons of fossil fuel every year. Enel Green Power is planning to drill five more wells at the plant location.
Francesco Starace, Enel Green Power’s CEO, said that with the commencement of power production in Radicondoli 2, and Chiusdino geothermal plants the total power production capacity of the company in Tuscany region has gone up to 728 MW. He added that such power production has enhanced the global status of Italy and his company in renewable energy sector.