First geothermal power plant gets the nod

HA NOI - (VNS) Central Quang Tri Province's Dakrong District will be the home for a pioneering 25MW geothermal power plant, according to the Deputy Chairman of Viet Nam Thermal Association Ta Huong.

The plant, set to be the very first of its kind in Viet Nam, has been licensed by provincial authorities and aims to promote exploration for new sources of energy in the near future.

Huong said Viet Nam has the potential for developing geothermal power in almost all provinces and cities nationwide, especially in Phu Tho, Quang Binh and Quang Tri.

The geothermal plant can operate 24 hours a day without being affected by weather conditions such as sunlight, wind or sea wave.

Geothermal electricity is generated from geothermal energy. It is considered to be sustainable and friendly-environmental because the heat extraction is small compared with the earth's heat content.

It's reported that the geothermal power plant will use Hot Dry Rock (HDR) heat mining technology to mine the heat from the hot rock found almost everywhere at some depth beneath the surface of the earth.

The water is pumped into hot, crystalline rock via an injection well, which becomes superheated as it flows opening joints in the hot rock reservoir, and is then returned through production wells.

At the surface, the useful heat is extracted to generate power and the same water is recirculated to mine more heat .

The technology has been used by many countries in the world including the US, Germany and Iceland.

The US takes the lead, with its geothermal power output accounting for 32 per cent of all geothermal power produced in the world.

In the next 50 years, the US is expected to generate 100,000MW from geothermal energy, supplying power for 25 million of households at a cost of around $40 million per year. -- VNS