According to the deputy Otton Solis, member of the Citizen Action Party and sponsor of the bill, "... in the national parks there is a potential of about 350 megawatts of geothermal energy that can be harnessed, under highly rigorous environmental requirements."

AmeliaRueda.com reports that "...Approximately 20% of the territory of Costa Rica consists of protected areas. In them there are 28 national parks that make up 13% of the national territory."

"... The areas with geothermal potential are those very near volcanoes, in particular in the Central Volcanic Cordillera and the Cordillera de Guanacaste, some of which are under a protective regime. "

Source: Ameliarueda.com

More on this topic

Costa Rica: $3 Million for National Parks

August 2017

In a period of three years, resources will be invested in infrastructure improvements and software to automate ticket sales in national parks, among other places.

From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Tourism Institute:

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) will be allocating three million dollars over a period of three years (one million dollars per year), with the possibility of extending it for three more years, in order to optimize infrastructure and services in Protected Wild Areas (ASP by their initials in Spanish) in order to provide adequate facilities to improve the visitor experience.

Geothermal Energy and National Parks

June 2017

Finally, the Congress in Costa Rica will discuss a bill that proposes the exploration and exploitation of geothermal energy in national park lands.

Studies carried out by the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) estimate potential geothermal energy generation in the country at 875 MW, where current installed capacity is 195 MW.

Exploitation of Geothermal Energy Throughout Costa Rica

October 2014

The deputy leader of the ruling bloc has presented a bill that authorizes the state power company to exploit geothermal energy in protected areas: national parks, biological and forest reserves and wildlife refuges.

"It is nonsense, from an economic, social and environmental standpoint, that the country is rejects the use of existing stocks of geothermal resources in protected areas, like those for example in national parks or forest reserves."

Legal Threat to Geothermal Energy in Costa Rica

April 2013

A bill to authorize geothermal exploitation in an area which has been declared a national park should include reform of several other laws which currently prevent such activity.

So warned Jorge Cabrera, an expert in environmental law, during the debate entitled "Scope for reform to generate geothermal energy in national parks," organized by Nacion.com.