Chile’s Ministry of Mining granted 9 geothermal exploration areas with an approximate investment of US$8 billion to Minera El Abra (Chile), Magma Energy Chile (Canada), Hot Rock Chile (Australia) and Pacific Geothermal (Chile). The areas are located in the regions of Antofagasta, El Maule, Bíobío, La Araucanía, Región Metropolitana O’Higgins, adding 300,000 new hectares.

The new areas of exploration were requested directly by the companies under Law No. 19,657.

The Government of Chile faces the challenge of promoting the exploration of geothermal energy in the country, attracting businesses to invest in this sector and create favourable conditions for the exploitation of resources. This is comprehensive, but capturing all the uses and potentials this energy source can deliver to the nation is of a big advantage for the country.

The big winners should be new and emerging northern mining projects to be located certain distances from the geothermal projects, but also communities will be benefitting from the harvesting process, as Aboriginal people have not alternative power supply, and even alternative development that could arise from the use of this energy, and tourism projects, agricultural processing, industrial and domestic heating.

The strong growth in energy demand and the opportunity to use clean energy sources, indicate that power generation based on geothermal energy will play a significant role in the growth of electricity generation capacity in the medium and long term.

In 2008 there were 99 applications for exploration concessions and exploitation and 4 for this year have already been filed 57 applications for exploration and 2 for the exploitation of this energy”

Source: Release by the Chilean Ministry of Mining (in Spanish)