Central Geotérmica do Pico Vermelho, Geothermal power plant in São Miguel, Azores.

Central Geotérmica do Pico Vermelho stands beside Pico Vermelho in the Ribeira Grande municipality on São Miguel. It uses a single-flash system with a back-pressure turbine, fed by well PV1 at 0.8 MW installed capacity, a steam flow of 20 tonnes per hour and 5 bar admission pressure. The plant took about 60 months to build, at a total investment of roughly 34.4 million euros.

The facility began operating in 2007, marking a major shift toward harnessing the island's natural heat resources for power generation. This development emerged from regional initiatives to reduce the Azores' reliance on imported energy sources.

The plant is named after Pico Vermelho, the hill beside it in Ribeira Grande. Its Israeli contractor Ormat built it over about 60 months, with PRODESA covering roughly 28 percent of the 34.4 million euro investment. The steam comes from the PV1 wells.

The location sits on São Miguel island in a relatively rural area with limited nearby settlements. Visitors should understand this is an active industrial facility, so public access may be restricted.

The plant was built by the Israeli multinational Ormat and took about 60 months to complete, at a total investment of roughly 34.4 million euros, about 28 percent co-financed by the Azores' PRODESA programme.