Vanuatu : Efate Geothermal Power and Island-Ring Grid Development Framework - Inception Report

This report was prepared by Castlerock Consulting Ltd for the World Bank Group. Electricity in Vanuatu is supplied via concessions granted by the Government to private utilities. Though reliability and quality of supply is excellent on Efate relative to other island nation utility peers, the high price of electricity and its limited reach has profound, adverse socioeconomic impacts on the country. Efate’s geothermal power potential offers such a prospect. Vanuatu has been the subject of geothermal prospecting since the 1970’s. Hydrothermal surface manifestations are present in several locations around Efate. And with the commercialization of smaller scale binary power systems, geothermal power generation sizing and performance is suitable for conditions expected on Efate. keywords: geothermal, Vanuatu, renewable energy, URA, utility