Geothermal energy company Ormat Technologies has announced that two of the four power plants in the OREG 2 recovered energy generation project have reached commercial operation in December 2008 and January 2009, respectively.
According to Ormat, the project consists of four power plants that will have a net capacity of 5.5MW each and will convert the recovered waste heat from the exhaust of existing gas turbines at compressor sites into electricity. The remaining two facilities are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009.
The output supplied from the two facilities will be sold to Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC) of Bismarck, North Dakota and will bring the total owned generating capacity of Ormat’s REG portfolio to 33MW.
Earlier in January 2009, Ormat Technologies announced that it signed a contract with Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica for the supply, supervision of installation, start-up and testing of Las Pailas Geothermal Plant, a new geothermal power plant that is to be constructed in Las Pailas Field, Costa Rica.
The plant will be utilized by Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, the Costa Rican national electricity and telecommunications company. The contract is valued at approximately $65 million and supply of the power plant is expected to be completed within 18 months from the contract start date.
Ormat Technologies claims to be the only vertically-integrated company primarily engaged in the geothermal and recovered energy power business. The company designs, develops, owns and operates geothermal and recovered energy-based power plants around the world.
