World Bank Backs Probe into Geothermal Resources in Armenia

Geothermal power plants, like the one pictured above in Iceland, harness the thermal energy stored under the Earth’s surface.
YEREVAN (Arka)””The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on Monday an $8.55 million grant for the Geothermal Exploratory Drilling Project (GEDP) for Armenia, the World Bank said in a press release.
It said the new project is to confirm whether the geothermal resource at the Karkar field is suitable for power generation and, if confirmed, to involve the private sector in the development of a geothermal power plant.
The objective of the government is to construct a geothermal power plant at the Karkar site in the Syunik region upon the confirmation of the availability of the resource. Unlike other renewable energy technologies, such as wind, solar, and hydro, it is not possible to validate the geothermal resource with sufficient confidence for commercial development without performing exploratory drillings at depth to assess specific parameters of the geothermal field.
The selection of the Karkar site for exploratory drilling is based on field investigation works completed for two prospective sites, which were deemed the most promising by the local and international geothermal experts. The field investigation works at the prospective sites were supported under the Armenia Geothermal Project, financed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and completed in 2012.
“By investing in exploration that can lead to the first commercial project, we can help build domestic capacity for the development of additional geothermal resources at other prospective sites. The total potential for geothermal power in Armenia is currently estimated at around 150 megawatt,”