French vitality firm Albiom has been granted a geothermal analysis allow for the Salazie and Cilaos areas, round Pitos des Neiges, in Reunion Island.
The Ministry of Financial system, Finanace, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France has granted vitality firm Albioma a five-year geothermal analysis allow for an 80-square kilometer research space in Reunion Island.
The “Piton des Neiges” allow space encompasses the Salazie and Cilaos municipalities, and is within the neighborhood of the Piton des Neiges volcano. The allow was awarded following a young course of initiated again in 2022. ENGIE Options had additionally submitted an utility for the “Cafres-Pelmistes” geothermal analysis space, however no determination on this utility has been printed but.
Inside the five-year interval granted by the allow, Albioma might want to get hold of land permits, conduct environmental influence research, probably construct entry roads, and apply for drilling permits. If all goes in response to plan, drilling can proceed earlier than 2027 with a piece program for 3 exploratory wells. The aim is to place up the primary geothermal energy plant in Reunion Island inside 8 years, pending the outcomes of the detailed useful resource evaluation.
Albioma will have interaction the companies of the Compagnie Française de Géothermie (CFG), a subsidiary of the Bureau of Geological and Mining Analysis (BRGM), to execute the exploratory work program. The BRGM had beforehand already drilled wells within the Salazie area, indicating temperatures of greater than 190 °C at depths of greater than two kilometers. Nevertheless, the wells didn’t have sufficient stress to help energy technology.
Cilaos is equally attention-grabbing primarily based on a research carried out by 2020 on the College of Reunion. The outcomes of the research point out temperatures of thermal waters exceed the brink of 150 °C and should have a most of 210 °C. The preliminary information in each Salazie and Cilaos help the opportunity of industrial exploitation of geothermal sources for electrical energy technology.
Camille Paquez, Geothermal Challenge Supervisor at Albioma, says that the data on geothermal vitality utilization and drilling have developed significantly prior to now years. Furthermore, Albioma has acquired shares in geothermal builders in Türkiye (Gümüsköy in 2021 and Kuyucak Geothermal in 2022), additional reinforcing the corporate’s geothermal experience. Extra not too long ago, Albioma introduced plans of drilling an exploration nicely on the Kuyucak geothermal subject.
As per the phrases of allow utility, Albioma has dedicated to allotted EUR 5.8 million for the geothermal analysis mission. Nevertheless, the corporate is aiming to have a monetary assure in case the analysis mission fails. Nelly Noël, Environmental CSR Supervisor at Albioma, says that such a mechanism already exists in mainland France, and now they’re interesting that or not it’s prolonged to the abroad territories.
Supply: Geothermies.fr, Legifrance, and Clicanoo
