This aerial view shows the Ahuachapán-3 geothermal power plant. The Ahuachapán-Chipilapa geothermal field has an installed capacity of 95 MW and a potential of 95-150 MW. It covers an area of 200 km² in the counties of Santa Ana, Ahuachapán, and Sonsonate. The field was the first developed in El Salvador, and the first plants came on line in 1975. During the 1980s the field was over-exploited and generated more than 40% of the country's electricity. After the reservoir pressure dropped rapidly, generation was stabilized at 48 MW.

Photo courtesy of Comisión Ejecutiva Hidroeléctricia del Río Lempa (CEL).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license terms.

Apaneca Range