This Spanish island underwent a mega eruption centuries ago: now they want to extract the energy underground

A isla Spain suffered a mega-eruption centuries ago and is now trying to pull it out energy underground. Although the La Palma eruption was shocking and made headlines, we will not focus on this area this time. The energy Popular is geothermal energy, of a kind energy which has been used for cooking and heating in some countries for thousands of years. It comes from the internal heat of the TierraSo the eruptions and the areas in which they occurred are clear indications that this form of energy.

It is found in the rocks and fluids beneath the Earth’s crust. It can be found both in the deep ground and several kilometers below the surface. Even further down to extremely hot molten rock called magma.

“The geothermal energy is the big unknown among the group Renewable energiesTherefore, it is often ignored even though it existed and was known since ancient times,” says a report from the Ministry of Energy of Spain in 2014.

They explore a Spanish island to extract this energy underground

Geothermal deposits are being explored more than 100 kilometers south of Lanzarote. Companies detect “thermal anomalies”. Timanfaya in other parts of the island. What’s happening inside The devil or the geyser surprises the visitors who come to the Timanfaya National Park. More than 921,000 people arrived in 2023 Mountains of fire. Now two companies have applied for several exploration permits for a total of 316 mining networks, covering a total area of ​​about 108 square kilometers, in the municipalities Aunts j Yaizafor high enthalpy geothermal energy.

Geothermal sources are framed in the flow Mining Actwhich has its origins in 1973, within the same category of coal, radioactive minerals, bituminous rocks and “any other mineral deposits or geological resources of energy interest that the Government agrees to include in this session.”

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In particular the high enthalpy geothermal energy It is the one that takes advantage of the pressure and high temperatures below the surface of the Tierra. The latest project focuses on Lanzarote. Being called ICO-1 and extends over 93 mining networks and 31.76 square kilometers in the municipalities of Aunts j Yaiza.

The company applying for the permit is the General Technical Support Company (CGSi) and was originally integrated since the 1960s CEPSA. Currently, the company has been “converted and owned by several former directors with extensive experience in prospecting and drilling, who act as consultants in the fields of geology, mining, hydrogeology, geothermal and environment.” This has been explained in the documentation submitted to the Commission Government of the Canary Islandsthe authority responsible for processing the file.

They are looking for geothermal energy in Lanzarote: this is the project everyone is talking about

In this way they emphasize the company’s previous experience with “geothermal modelling”. Lanzarote for him Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME)an autonomous body that depends on the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

“It was always assumed that the thermal anomalies of the zone of Timanfaya They were unique, but there is serious evidence that they are much larger. Our work teams have discovered via satellite in the infrared band a significant presence of thermal anomalies outside the perimeter of the National Park and based on some geophysical indications and results of preliminary numerical models, we assume that the magma is very close to the surface in some areas,” the company warns in its request.

If this fact turns out to be true, Lanzarote’s geothermal potential “should be explored through in-depth research, this could take an important turn.” Ultimately this isla Spain, which suffered a mega-eruption centuries ago, is now the center of extraction energy “hidden underground”. Would you like to know more about the energy geothermal? Then don’t miss our article dedicated to this, in which we explain everything about this renewable energy source.