THE CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL FIELD, MEXICO

Abstract

The Cerro Prieto geothermal field located in the northern part of Baja California, Mexico ranks among the three largest geothermal power-producing fields in the world. With a total installed capacity of 720MWe, the Cerro Prieto stands at par with the Tongonan field in Leyte, Philippines, and is exceeded only by the Geysers consisting installed capacity of about 1,420 MWe. The Cerro Prieto geothermal field is the largest among several high-temperature, water-dominated geothermal fields located in the Salton Trough of southern California, U.S.A., and northern Baja California, Mexico. The electrical power generation from this field alone accounts for 75% of Mexico's geothermal capacity of 953 MWe and meets more than 50% of Baja California's total power requirements. The geothermal field has been producing power successfully for the past 30 years. Today, it is one of the extremely well-studied geothermal reservoirs in the world. Data and information obtained from research experiments that are discussed in the chapter have been gainfully utilized in exploration and development of other geothermal fields worldwide, particularly in the area of reservoir engineering studies.