Honduras needs to significantly increase its power generation capacity to support economic growth and reach the roughly two-thirds of rural residents who lack a reliable source of electricity.
Solution and Impact
Financing supported construction of the country’s first geothermal power plant, a 25 MW baseload plant located in the rural western part of the country where electricity is limited, and blackouts are common. Built by Ormat Technologies Inc. of Reno, Nevada, the plant opened in 2018, increasing the country’s power generation capacity by about two percent, and significantly lowering the cost of power in the country.
The new plant also advanced the country’s goals to diversify its power mix toward renewable sources by 2032. While Honduras currently generates about 60 percent of its power from hydroelectric and other renewable resources, it aims to increase that to 80 percent by 2032.
Photo Credit: Ormat Technologies Inc.