Philippines Could Fall Behind in Geothermal Capacity

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Asia-Pacific region has the strongest geothermal potential in the world, with an estimate of more than 70 GW. Southeast Asia is rich in geothermal activity, as are other countries located in and around the Ring of Fire.

Vietnam and Indonesia are both ramping up their respective geothermal capacities through aggressive energy planning and progressive renewable energy policies. Indonesia has at least 9.5 GW of exploitable geothermal energy, but Vietnam's figures are much higher. Vietnam's current geothermal potential estimates are upwards of 28 GW. For more information, read the December 2010 articles Vietnam to Boost Geothermal Potential and Indonesia Plans Aggressively for Geothermal Development.

Currently, the Philippines is the largest consumer of geothermal energy in Asia and the second-largest producer following the United States, possessing nearly 2 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity. Geothermal energy accounts for about 27% of the country's power production and has the potential to expand by at least another 600 megawatts (MW).

The Philippines could lose its runner-up title in the next few years to Vietnam, as planned projects see setbacks and losses in capacity. One such project, a 50-MW geothermal plant to be located on Billiran Island, was knocked down from its originally planned 100 MW. Envent Holding Philippines Incorporated (Manila) originally planned to commence construction last second quarter, but construction has since been pushed back to 2012. Eventually, the $120 million plant could see a second unit, but not until Unit 1 is completed late in 2013.

IIR is currently tracking 19 geothermal power projects throughout Southeast Asia, representing 1,244 MW and almost $3 billion. An additional nine projects are being tracked throughout the rest of Asia and Oceania, with Australia in the lead with $2.8 billion of investments in almost 550 MW of geothermal power projects.

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