International Workshop on Geothermal Energy:
Exchange of experiences and visions between Italy and Mexico
Origin and current
panorama of geothermal
energy in Mexico
LUIS C.A. GUTIÉRREZ NEGRÍN
CEMIE-GEO, INTERNATIONAL GEOTHERMAL ASSOCIATION, GEOCÓNSUL
Ciudad de México, 18 February 2016
Geothermal in Pre-Columbian Epoch
In Mesoamerica, and especially in
Mexico, settlements were related to
volcanoes and geothermal
manifestations.
Xiuhtecutli, Aztec goddess of fire, was
considered the link between the heat of
Earth and heaven.
The Aztec’s five suns or epochs:
o The third sun, named Quiahuitl
Tonatiuh (solar fire rain), was
destroyed by volcanic eruptions.
Other Aztec gods related
Huehuetéotl,
ancient god of
fire and father
of gods.
Tláloc, god of rain and fire.
Geothermal in the Colonial period
In 1540, the Spanish chronicler Pedro
Castañeda described the arrival of the
expedition to the thermal manifestations
of Laguna Volcano in Cerro Prieto:
“...Dieron con unos médanos de ceniza
ferviente, que no podía entrar nadie en
ellos... La tierra que hallaban temblaba
como témpano y parecía que estaban
debajo algunos lagos. Era cosa admirable
que así hervía la ceniza en algunas
partes, que parecía cosa infernal...”
Geothermal in the Colonial period
In 1540, the Spanish chronicler Pedro
Castañeda described the arrival of the
expedition to the thermal manifestations
of Laguna Volcano in Cerro Prieto:
“... They went at some boiling ash dunes,
and nobody could get into them... Ground
was shaking like iceberg and looked like
they were some lakes under it. It was an
admirable thing that ashes were boiling in
parts, which seemed an infernal thing...”
Known hot springs in Mexico
Hot water:
o Atotonilco,
term coming
from náhuatl
o Puruándiro,
term coming
from
purépecha
o Pathé, term
coming from
otomí.
Source: Gerencia de Proyectos Geotermoeléctricos, CFE.
First antecedents
o 1906
Paul Waitz publishes Les Geysers de Ixtlán, which
is part of the booklet-guide of the field trip 1d,
previous to the X International Geologic Congress.
o 20 February 1943
Birth of the Paricutín Volcano, in San Juan
Parangaricutiro, Mich.
o 1948
José Ísita Septién writes his thesis on the
geohydrology of the San Bartolomé de los Baños,
Gto., geothermal area.
o 1951
Luis F. de Anda publishes Estudio preliminar sobre
el aprovechamiento geotérmico de los géysers de
Ixtlán de los Hervores, Michoacán, en energía para
el sistema combinado Chapala-Guanajuato-
Michoacán.
Creation of the CEG and first well in Pathé, Hgo.
o 1952 o 1955
Luis F. de Anda pays a technical It is formed the Geothermal Energy Commission
visit to the Larderello, geothermal (CEG) and the first exploration well is drilled in the
field in Italy. Pathé, Hgo., geothermal field.
Beginnings of Cerro Prieto and the first power plant
o 1958 o 20 November 1959
Drilling starts in the Cerro Prieto, BC, and Ixtlán The first power plant, acquired in Italy,
de los Hervores, Mich., geothermal fields. is inaugurated in Pathé.
Modern epoch: Cerro Prieto
800
700
600
500
MW
400
300
200
100
1979
1981
1997
1999
2015
1973
1975
1977
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
1973 1979 1982 1986 1987 2000 2011 2012
75 150 180 510 620 720 645 570
Cerro Prieto geothermal field
o Field of convection type into
extensional domain
o Altitude: ~13 masl
o Tectonic setting: transform margin.
Pull apart basin between two strike-
slip faults
o Regional heat plumes and
Quaternary basic intrusives
o Liquid dominant reservoir with fluids
hosted in sedimentary rocks
o Sodium chloride fluids at ~2400 m
depth and 250-310°C
o Recharge: regional shallow aquifer
and the Colorado River
Early eighties: Beginning of Los Azufres, Mich.
250
200
150
MW
100
50
1982 1986 1988 1989 1990 1992 1993 2002 2003 2006 2015
25 30 80 85 90 95 98 93 194 191 224
Los Azufres geothermal field
o Field of convection, magmatic,
extrusive type
o Altitude: ~2850 masl
o Tectonic setting: subduction.
Compressive regime with local
extension
o Magma chamber of the San
Andrés Volcano
o Vapor dominant reservoir with
fluids hosted in andesites
o Sodium chloride fluids at ~2000
m depth and 240-320°C
o Recharge: local shallow aquifers
Early nineties: Beginnings of Los Humeros, Pue.
80
70
60
50
MW
40
30
20
10
1991
2000
2005
2009
2014
1990
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
2006
2007
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2015
1990 1991 1992 1994 2001 2002 2008 2012 2013
10 25 30 35 15 35 40 56.8 68.6
Los Humeros geothermal field
o Field of convection, magmatic,
extrusive type
o Altitude: ~2800 masl
o Tectonic setting: subduction.
Compressive regime with local
extension
o Magma chamber of Los Humeros
and Los Potreros calderas
o Vapor dominant reservoir with
fluids hosted in volcanic rocks
o Sodium chloride fluids at ~2200 m
depth and 210-340°C
o Recharge: regional shallow aquifer
Recent developments: Las Tres Vírgenes, BCS
o Field of convection, magmatic,
extensional type
o Altitude: ~750 m.a.s.l.
o Tectonic setting: transform
margin. Extensional regime
o Magma chamber of La Virgen
Volcano
o Liquid dominant reservoir with
fluids hosted in granitic rocks
o Sodium chloride fluids at ~2000
m depth and 250-275°C
o Recharge: local shallow aquifer
o 10 MW since July 2001
Private development: Domo San Pedro, Nay.
o Field of convection, magmatic,
extrusive type
o Altitude: ~1500 masl
o Tectonic setting: subduction.
Compressive regime with local
extension and pre-rifting
o Magma chamber of two dacitic
domes
o Liquid dominant reservoir hosted in
rocks of several types
o Sodium chloride fluids at ~3000 m
depth and ~280°C
o Recharge: local shallow aquifer
o 10 MW since March 2015
Evolution of the national capacity in operation
1200
1000
TOTAL
800 o 883 MW operating
in five geothermal
fields
MW
600 o 75 MW currently in
construction (Los
Humeros, Los
400 Azufres and Domo
San Pedro)
200
0
Current geothermal fields under exploitation
San Andreas Fault System Cerro Prieto, BC
720 MW installed, 540 MW operating
NORTH
AMERICA PLATE
Las Tres Vírgenes, BCS
10 MW installed & operating
Domo San Pedro, Nay.
PACIFIC 10 MW installed & operating
PLATE
Los Azufres, Mich.
RIVERA PLATE 247.4 MW installed, 224.4 MW operating
Rivera Fault Zone
East Pacific Rise
Los Humeros, Pue.
93.6 MW installed, 68.6 MW operating
Orozco Fault Zone
COCOS Mexican TOTAL
PLATE Volcanic
Mesoamerican Trench
Belt 1081 MW installed, 883 MW operating
Mexico in the geothermal world
COUNTRY MWe Worldwide geothermal- COUNTRY MWth
1 United States 3,789.0 1 China 17,870.0
2 Philippines 1,870.0
electric installed capacity 2 United States 17,415.9
3 Indonesia 1,438.5 by December 2015 3 Sweden 5,600.0
4 Mexico 1,081.0 4 Turkey 2,886.3
5 New Zealand 1,005.0 5 Germany 2,848.6
6 Italy 941.0 6 France 2,346.9
7 Iceland 664.4 7 Japan 2,186.2
8 Turkey 635.0 8 Iceland 2,040.0
9 Kenya 625.0 9 Switzerland 1,733.1
10 Japan 519.0 10 Finland 1,560.0
11 Costa Rica 207.1 11 Canada 1,466.8
12 El Salvador 204.4 12 Norway 1,300.0
13 Nicaragua 159.0 13 Italy 1,014.0
14 Russia 81.9 14 India 986.0
15 Guatemala 52.0 15 Hungary 905.6
16 Papua-New Guinea (Lihir Island) 50.0 16 Austria 903.4
17 Portugal (Azores Islands) 28.5 17 South Korea 835.8
18 China 27.0 18 The Netherlands 790.0
19 Germany 27.0 19 Poland 488.8
20 France (Guadeloupe Island, Alsace) 16.0 20 New Zealand 487.5
21 Ethiopia 7.0 Worldwide installed … …
22 Austria 1.4 capacity of geothermal 31 Mexico 155.8
23 Australia 1.0 … …
direct uses by December
24 Thailand 0.3 82 Papua-New Guinea 0.1
Total 13,430.5 2013 (includes GHP) Total 70,329.0
Perspectives in the new regulatory framework
Geothermal Energy Act (LEG, Aug. 2014) and its regulation (Oct. 2014)
Stage: Reconnaissance Exploration Exploitation
Requirement: Registration Permit Concession
Duration: 8 months 3 year (plus 3 years) 30 years (or more)
- Detailed geologic and - Drilling of production & injection
Regional geological geochemical studies wells
Allowed - Superficial installations
and geochemical - Geophysical surveys
activities: - Plant construction and installation
surveys - Drilling of 1 to 5 exploration wells
- Civil works (roads, well-pads) - Field management
o Geothermal areas of maximum 150 km2
o Registration, permits and concessions are mandatory & can’t be sold
o Geothermal expertise and economic solvency
o Possibilities (and obligation if necessary) to jointly exploit the same reservoir with two or
more different concessions
o All brine must be inject into the reservoir
o ‘Round 0’ for CFE and ‘Round 0.5’ for private developers
Present status
As result of ‘Round 0’ SENER
awarded to CFE:
o 5 Exploitation concessions
for its four fields, plus the
Cerritos Colorados, Jal.,
and
Present status
As result of ‘Round 0’ SENER
awarded to CFE:
o 5 Exploitation concessions o 13 Exploration permits in the
for its four fields, plus the areas of Cerritos & Calderón
Cerritos Colorados, Jal., Cucapah in the state of Baja
and California, Volcán Chichonal in
Chiapas, San Bartolomé de
los Baños in Guanajuato, La
Soledad, Las Planillas & San
Marcos in Jalisco, Lago de
Cuitzeo, Araró. Ixtlán de los
Hervores & Los Negritos in
Michoacán, Los Hervores in
Nayarit, and Acoculco in the
state of Puebla.
As result of ‘Round 0.5’ SENER awarded:
o 1 Exploitation concession to Grupo Dragón for the Domo San Pedro, Nay., area.
o 1 Exploration permit to Mexxus-RG for the Volcán Ceboruco, Nay., area.
Future geothermal development
o Up to now, SENER has received several applications for exploration permits for other
geothermal areas, yet it has not awarded none.
o The Regulatory Energy Commission (CRE) will accept offers for
Clean Energy Certificates (CELs) in next March.
o Hydrothermal proven reserves are currently estimated at
112 MW and probable ones at 230 MW (only in the six
fields already awarded to CFE & Grupo Dragón).
o Hydrothermal measured resources are estimated at
195 MW, indicate resources at 830 MW & inferred
resources at 1210 MW.
o Geothermal potential for hot dry rocks, developable with
EGS technologies, is still under assessment by the CeMIE-
Geo, yet it is estimated a minimum of >5000 MW.
o The SENER’s Inventario Nacional de Recursos Renovables estimates the national technical
potential at 13,400 MW.
Preliminary geothermal potential
6000
Minimum EGS potential (≥ 150°C) = 5250
5000
Hydrothermal potential (≥ 150°C) = 2,577 MW
4000
MW
3000
Reserves Resources
2000
1210
1000 883 830
111.8 229.8 195
0
Operation Proven Probable Measured Indicated Inferred EGS
Minimum
High Low
Confidence
XXIII Annual Congress
9-11 March 2016, Morelia, Mich.
More info in the AGM’s website:
www.geotermia.org.mx
Grazie
