Possibilité De Developpement De L'Energie Géothermique A Madagascar

Abstract

Energy consumption in Madagascar is low in per capita terms, and underdeveloped by structure. The electrical energy is currently predominantly on diesel generation and hydropower as consequence of an increasing demand for electricity. The high prices of oil are putting a strain on the national budget and constitute presently a serious hurdle to the economic growth for a developing country such as Madagascar. To minimize the dependency on energy imports and to save foreign currency, the use of alternate energy sources using renewable resources has become of great importance. Geothermal development seems to be the long term solution to this problem. Geothermal energy is a non-polluting energy source that can provide electricity on a large scale enough to make a significant contribution to our needs. Madagascar's geothermal electrical energy would be more than 5% of the national potential hydroelectric resources. This is more than 350 megawatts of electricity spread over a dozen locations, saving fossil fuel equivalent to 163 million barrels of oil. But Madagascar is not yet able to develop its demand for electricity using geothermal energy even on a small scale. Every year, the demand for electric power increases rapidly. The overall objective of the study is to develop geothermal energy to complement hydro and other sources of power to meet the energy demand of rural areas in sound environment. This report gives an overview of Madagascar energy sector and presents the opportunities, the challenges and the geothermal development update of the country.