A geothermal project being installed at the Ombria Resort near Querença, has not been subject to laws on drilling in a formerly protected countryside area as there are no applicable laws.
The owners of the old Quinta da Ombria managed, after decades, to get planning permission for a tourist resort, despite this being a protected area (Sítio Barrocal da Rede Natura 2000).
The resort's golf course is nearly finished, next to be built is the five-star Viceroy branded hotel.
Controversy surrounded the planning application at the Quinta de Ombria site as not only was the land in a protected zone, the resort sits on top of the Querença-Silves aquifer, a vast underground water resource covering 318 square kilometres under the Algarve.*
The resort’s marketing pitch is ‘carved by nature’ and a desire to be eco-friendly has been impressed on its management by the Finnish owners in a desire to create "the premium sustainable destination for Portugal, situated in the heart of the authentic Algarve."
Stage one of a geothermal heating and cooling system has been installed at Ombria Resort, involving the drilling of 244 boreholes on top of the largest aquifer in the Algarve.
Under the hotel complex and 65 apartments, 40 boreholes will be sunk to a depth of 110 metres. A further 204 boreholes, to 150 and 115 metres depth, are to be sunk across three further building zones.
In a report in today’s Público, the Directorate General for Energy and Geology is reported to have categorised the project as a "learning laboratory" in the use of renewable energy.
The technology is not new but it is the first such commercialisation in mainland Portugal and, as such, is not covered by laws to protect and safeguard water supplies, or indeed any other laws.
Almargem wrote to the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development - Algarve, stating that “it is not without concern" that the project is being carried out, "in a hydrologically sensitive area," an area where the underground water supply was a major part of the raft of objections to the project, submitted by environmental associations, including Almargem.
The geothermal project has been running for about a month after a press launch outlined the system’s ecological and economic benefits yet there was no formal environmental impact assessment as there is no applicable law.
Público quotes the director of services at the Directorate General of Energy and Geology (DGEG), Carla Lourenço, who said at the launch presentation on 19 June, that the project represents, "a learning laboratory, both in terms of the installation itself, given its dimensions and recommended solutions, and in the development of the procedures for its licensing."
The system offers winter heating and summer cooling with the use of geothermal pumps.
Pedro Madureira, from the specialist company, Synege, which installed the plant, explained that the project is a "closed vertical system, where each borehole houses two U-shaped tubes at the lower end and where the aqueous fluid, that supplies a surface air-conditioning network, will circulate."
Almargem points out that, even in the case of this "closed vertical system," the aquifer could be contaminated during drilling.
It seems that under current regulations, anyone may drill a borehole for the installation of a geothermal system as long as the Portuguese Environment Agency is informed. This agency appears unable to stop drilling as there is no law it can quote to stop any such activity.
Geothermal energy technology in Portugal lags well behind that for wind, wave and water power and offers a renewable source whose potential for Iberia is untapped.
Portugal's National Laboratory of Energy and Geology has been coordinating a National Geothermal Atlas from data that started to be collected in the 1980s and an in-depth study in the Lisbon area showed the potential for geothermal energy production at sites such as the old Expo '98 area.
Portugal's main investment into this type of energy is in the Azores. While electricity is only produced on São Miguel, direct-use applications are also found at Chaves in northern Portugal, at S. Pedro do Sul in central Portugal and at the Lisbon Air Force Hospital.
The lack of experimentation, of pilot projects and of analysis is evident. If Portugal wants to lead Europe in renewable energy production technology, a flexible regulatory framework needs urgently to be created for geothermal and its interaction with the country's geology.
It is hardly a professional development for the Directorate General of Energy and Geology to muse that she will draft some regulatory and safety guidelines after dozens of boreholes have been sunk and commercial production plant has been installed on top of the region's main water deposit.
What is Geothermal energy? It's a non-carbon-based renewable energy source, able to provide peak and base load power for electricity and heat generation.
In Europe, the geothermal potential is estimated to be between 80-100 GWe, however, only in Italy, Iceland, and Portugal it is harnessed for the generation of electricity (over 1.6 GW).
Geothermal energy is used for industrial heating, mainly for agricultural greenhouses and heating homes and offices.
For the background to Ombria Resort, see:
Controversial Ombria Resort - first phase design plans released (21 May 2018)
Querença-Silves aquifer
The 318 km2 Querença-Silves Aquifer is considered the most important aquifer system of the Algarve Region in the South of Portugal. This aquifer is located in one of the most touristic seaside resort areas in Portugal. Besides supplying hotels, holiday houses and golf courses, this aquifer also supplies farmers (mainly for citrus production) and some industries. It's western outlet is a Sítio das Fontes, near Estômbar.
