Regional Government's strategy intends to increase renewable energy production up to 60% by 2025
The Regional Secretary for Energy, Environment and Tourism stated today that, with the completion of an “ambitious investment programme” and the implementation of battery systems by EDA - regional electricity company, it is estimated that the contribution of renewable energy production in the Azores for 2025 “could increase significantly, from the 37% to around 60%."
Regarding the growth to 60%, Marta Guerreiro pointed out that 30% will be supplied by the geothermal source, taking into account that the Regional Government has been consolidating the "investment in geothermal energy" as a "strategic investment" in the Region to ensure the energy transition to a low carbon economy.
The Regional Secretary spoke at the presentation of projects for expansion of the geothermal sources and the installation of the energy storage and network control system of Terceira, a ceremony chaired by the President of the Government, Vasco Cordeiro.
In her speech, the government official mentioned that three geothermal boreholes will be drilled in order to "maintain the production of the Pico Alto Geothermal Power Plant in the medium-long term and expand the installed power to 10 MW, an estimated investment of 26 million Euros." In this regard, she recalled that the opening of this Power Plant, at the beginning of this legislative period, November 2017, "was an emblematic moment and an important milestone, not only for this island but also for the entire archipelago. It is an example of the consolidated strategy pursued by the Regional Government in raising the standards of sustainability in the Region, also through energy."
"Maintaining our commitment to promote the optimised use of renewable energy and ensuring the appropriate quality parameters, the EDA Group is also investing in the installation of storage systems on several islands, such as the investment estimated at 13.8 million Euros for the island of Terceira," added the government official.
With this system, combined with the new boreholes to be drilled in Pico Alto geothermal field, the island of Terceira will be able to reach "an integration rate of renewable energy sources above 60%."
The production of clean energy on this island was around 35% in 2019: hydropower (0.3%), wind power (16%), energy recovery from waste (6.1%) and geothermal power (12.5%).
On that occasion, the Regional Secretary also mentioned that there are plans "to expand the installed capacity of the Pico Vermelho Geothermal Power Plant from 10 to 15 MW and saturate the power of the Ribeira Grande Geothermal Power Plant (13 MW), an estimated global investment of 39 million Euros."
"There are several European projects based on research and development that we have been integrating, also in the area of geothermal energy. This is an unprecedented effort to increase the use of the geothermal resources at European level, not only for the production of electricity but also for the multiple possible uses, based on heat capacity," said the Regional Secretary.