Geothermal Energy in South America: A Case Study for Northern Chile

Denisse Abudinén; Miao Yang; Jin Zhang; Jan Baeyens; Qian Kang; Yimin Deng

doi:10.53941/see.2025.100007

Abstract

Chile represents one of the largest undeveloped geothermal areas of the world. Chile forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of volcanoes and earthquake epicentres. This belt contains numerous explored and virgin territories for geothermal energy production. The geothermal potential of Chile exceeds 12,000 MWe. The electricity demand in Chile has grown by 125% between 2000 and 2023. The per capita electricity consumption reached 4237 kWh in 2023. The low-carbon electricity generation continues to grow, reaching 3174 kWh per capita in 2024. The Chilean Government has stressed the importance of renewable energy supplies (mostly solar and geothermal, while also looking at further developing hydro energy). Contrary to other countries in the world, as e.g., New Zealand and Iceland, where geothermal energy is widely exploited, South America in general, and Chile in particular, remain in a preliminary development phase despite the abundant resources and the growing electricity demand. The aim of this paper is to illustrate the development of the geothermal energy in Chile, while showing the economical results of a test case of a Geothermal Power Plant of 50 MWe developed in the North of Chile.

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