Enel boosts geothermal plant with biomass

The new biomass plant is expected to lift both the energy efficiency and the power output of the geothermal cycle at its Cornia 2 power plant, based in Tuscany.

The company has invested more than €15 million (£10.5 million) in the enhanced plant, which it said would now have close to zero impact on the environment.  

The integration of different technologies is a major step forward for the future of renewable energy

Enel Green Power CEO Francesco Venturini

Geothermal power is the thermal energy contained in the rock and fluid of the earth’s crust, and is considered a sustainable source of energy because the heat extraction is minimal.

The biomass, sustainably sourced from a local forest, will supplement the output with 5 MW of extra capacity at the Cornia 2 plant, adding more than 30 GWh of output per year.

Enel Green Power said this would avoid the annual emission of 13,000 tonnes of CO2.

“The integration of different technologies is a major step forward for the future of renewable energy,” said Francesco Venturini, chief executive of Enel Green Power.

“This plant…represents a replicable model that opens up new local energy, economic and employment opportunities.”

Other benefits include the efficient use of agricultural and agro-industrial by-products, the company said.

While most geothermal heat reaches the earth’s surface in a very diffuse state, some areas are underlain by relatively shallow geothermal resources, according to the Geothermal Resources Council.

Geothermal wells are typically one to two miles deep and require high temperatures sourced from either dry steam wells or hot water wells. These are accessed by drilling wells into the Earth and piping the steam or hot water to the surface.

Enel Green Power operates 740 plants across 15 countries, with a generation mix that includes wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass.