North America

Driven by a commitment to work in partnership with indigenous communities to advance the clean energy transition, the Government of Canada has announced it will supply over CAD$2mn in geothermal funding.

Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories, announced the increased funding through the Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities (CERRC) programme to support ADK Holdings Ltd.’s geothermal energy development project.

Held by Acho Dene Koe First Nation’s economic development corporation, the project will engage the community of Echaot’l Koe (Fort Liard) and support Acho Dene Koe First Nation in determining the best strategies for developing the geothermal resources found in the First Nation’s traditional territory.

The initiative aims to identify specific opportunities for geothermal resource development. Supporting the potential transition of Indigenous communities to renewable energy will reduce diesel use for heating, create jobs and enable economic development in the Fort Liard region. 

Recognising indigenous expertise

“In northern Canada and across the country, clean energy presents an enormous economic opportunity that will also help people save money on their energy bills while keeping the air clean. The ADK Geothermal Development project will make a real difference in the lives of people living in the Northwest Territories while also driving down climate-changing emissions. Indigenous communities deserve to have access to the resources they need to advance clean energy solutions in their home territories – and that is exactly what the Government of Canada is supporting through this project.” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament, Northwest Territories, said, “It’s great to see innovative projects come to life that will contribute to reducing diesel use and bringing health and economic benefits to communities. It’s another step in the Government of Canada’s commitment to supporting reconciliation, further recognising Indigenous communities’ expertise in addressing climate change and protecting the environment.”   

E2E Energy Solutions has signed of a Letter of Intent with Novus Earth to jointly develop the Latitude 53 Hinton Inc project over two phases

Situated just outside of Hinton, Alberta, the groundbreaking initiative represents a major step forward in geothermal energy development. With construction set to begin in early 2025, the project will drive both sustainable energy solutions and agricultural growth.

The first phase of the project will focus on utilising geothermal energy to support year-round strawberry cultivation across a 20-acre greenhouse. This facility will receive up to 50 gigajoules of sustainable, consistent heat per hour, provided by E2E's geothermal technology. The second phase will incorporate E2E’s patented Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir Recovery System (EGRRS) to generate 10 MW of zero-emission power, proving the feasibility of geothermal technology as a reliable energy source.

Bringing stable, affordable energy

"We are looking forward to introducing this innovative approach to thermal and electrical generation to Alberta," said Jeff Mesner, President of Novus Earth. "Our partnership with E2E Energy Solutions perfectly aligns with our mission to leverage advanced geothermal technology for sustainable, community-centered projects."

“We’re very pleased to see our EGRRS technology integrated into a project that will bring stable, affordable energy to Alberta,” said Nick Daprocida, CEO of E2E Energy Solutions. “This project demonstrates how geothermal energy can contribute to creating sustainable jobs and delivering reliable baseload power to the agricultural sector.”

SLB, a global technology company, has announced that its SLB OneSubsea joint venture has been awarded a contract by bp to implement a boosting system in the greenfield development of the Kaskida project in the Gulf of Mexico.

“We’re delighted to expand our relationship with bp into the subsea processing domain, especially with such a critical delivery to bp’s first Paleogene field development” remarked Mads Hjelmeland, CEO of SLB OneSubsea. “Our subsea boosting system will accelerate and maximise the immense potential for this development.”

The contract represents the first engineering, procurement and construction contract for a subsea boosting system between bp and SLB OneSubsea. It includes a supplier-led, high-pressure subsea pump solution complete with an integrated power and controls umbilical, in addition to topside equipment.

The boosting system has been regarded as a key technology within bp’s first Paleogene field development. It will supply the required artificial lift needed to maximise production through the accelerated recovery of reserves with minimal energy consumption. The new award has also been celebrated as a continuation of the long-standing relationship between bp and SLB OneSubsea.

The Department of the Interior has announced the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project in Beaver County, Utah.

The project will use innovative technology to generate up to 2GW of baseload power that, if fully developed, is enough to supply more than two million homes. This approval marks the BLM's green-light for nearly 32GW of clean energy projects on public lands, including 42 projects approved under the Biden-Harris administration. The BLM is also proposing a new categorical exclusion to facilitate geothermal energy resources confirmation on public lands. 

“Geothermal energy is one of our greatest untapped clean energy resources on public lands,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Steve Feldgus. “Today’s actions are part of the Department’s work to deliver on new opportunities, new technologies, and new solutions in geothermal energy that support the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to create jobs, economic growth, and clean carbon-free electricity for communities throughout the West.”

“The BLM is committed to supporting the responsible growth of geothermal energy on public lands,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “We need all the tools in the toolbox to reach a clean energy future, and this proposed categorical exclusion will be helpful in accelerating the process of locating new geothermal resources.”

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has awarded a contract and first task order for the decommissioning of eight orphaned pipelines in the Matagorda Island lease area.

This move comes as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s concerted efforts to address legacy population and will see work take place in the area which is located around 12 miles off of the Texas coast.

On 4 September, BSEE awarded a five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to Chet Morrison Contractors, LLC, to conduct on-site pipeline decommissioning activities. This was closely followed, on 12 September, by the award of the first task order under the contract, for the Matagorda Island Areas.

“With this award, BSEE advances to the active pipeline decommissioning phase of the Matagorda Island area project,” remarked Kathryn Kovacs, Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, who leads BSEE. “The funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is crucial to BSEE as we tackle orphaned infrastructure on the Outer Continental Shelf, which presents a serious hazard to safety and the environment.”

The project will reduce pollution risks and improve offshore safety by decommissioning infrastructure that could interfere with navigation, commercial fisheries, and other current or future ocean uses.

A decommissioning legacy

These awards the year are the latest in a series that has seen action take place in the Matagorda Island lease area. Last year, BSEE awarded contracts for the decommissioning of nine orphaned wells there in a bid to address the urgent decommissioning needs. This included securing wellheads, decommissioning pipelines with hazardous materials, and preparing the site for permanently sealing the wells.

This has been part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which allocated US$250mn to clean up well sites in national parks, national forests, national wildlife refuges, and other public lands and waters. Nearly US$150mn has been disbursed over the past three years.

Halliburton has launched the Clear portfolio of electromechanical well intervention technologies and services

This portfolio addresses challenges related to high-angle deployment and includes surface readout telemetry for communication and precise control to deliver differentiated performance. It includes the ClearTrac wireline tractor and ClearCut non-dangerous goods electromechanical pipe cutters. ClearShift high-expansion shifters will also soon be introduced to open and close downhole valves that include barrier isolation devices.

The ClearTrac wireline tractor is an advanced wireline conveyance technology for highly deviated or horizontal wells that require cased-hole logging diagnostics, perforating, and powered mechanical intervention services. It uses an innovative electromechanical drive and real-time telemetry for communication and precise control to deliver unmatched performance compared to pipe-conveyed solutions. ClearTrac wireline tractor achieves speeds from 5 to 125 ft per minute and carries payloads up to 1,000 lbs. with a single-drive section. It provides an economical conveyance solution that acquires data in up-and-down passes. This increases efficiency and reduces the potential for HSE incidents.

The ClearCut service portfolio offers a family of pipe severing tools for a machine shop quality cut without dangerous goods from 2⅜ to 9⅝ in. ClearCut can be deployed on eline or RELAY Digital Slickline and navigate through small restrictions. It cuts outer tubing encapsulated cables in intelligent completions.

With the elimination of explosives and chemicals, ClearCut service provides a safer alternative for complex wireline interventions.

“Our Clear suite of services delivers integrated formation evaluation and intervention solutions to improve production,” said Chris Tevis, Vice President of Wireline and Perforating. “Today's launch of our power mechanical services will enable our customers to intervene in their completions in a more reliable, precise and powerful way.”

SLB has launched a well integrity assessment solution for carbon storage developers to quantify the risks associated with wells at prospective storage sites with previous drilling activity.

Since carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) provides one of the most immediate opportunities for reducing emissions, establishing secure storage sites is essential to enable the growth of a low carbon energy ecosystem. SLB’s new methodology for quantifying the probability and potential impact of carbon leakage helps customers understand the risks associated with each well, informing remediation strategies and ultimately estimating the project's long-term viability.

“The significance of the risks associated with each well and the costs of remediation to mitigate leakage risks can make a project economically unfeasible,” said Frederik Majkut, Senior Vice President of Industrial Decarbonisation, SLB. “By addressing potential well integrity issues early in the development process, SLB’s well integrity assessment solution can help storage developers avoid costly delays or operational disruptions, and drive companies toward their net zero ambitions.”

There are several prospective carbon storage sites that can be found in either mature or retired oil and gas fields. Having a large number of wells at a site can increase the risk of potential leakage pathways for the stored carbon.

The new tool by SLB incorporates advanced failure mode effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) to assess potential leakage pathways, well barrier, failure mechanisms and resulting consequences. Using advanced multi-physics 3D modeling, SLB can assess the volume and flow rates of brine and carbon leakage over time to better estimate risk.

Geothermal baseload and energy storage company, Sage Geosystems Inc, announced Christine, Texas, as the location for a 3MW Geopressured Geothermal System (GGS) energy storage facility after entering into a land use agreement with San Miguel Electric Cooperative Inc. 

Set to be established later in the year, near the SMECI lignite coal power plant, the EarthStore facility will utilise the earth's natural capacity for energy storage to produce clean, sustainable, and dispatchable electricity on demand. This technology offers a reliable and resilient power source that is independent of weather conditions and not reliant on wind or sunshine. 

“Once operational, our EarthStore facility in Christine will be the first geothermal energy storage system to store potential energy deep in the earth and supply electrons to a power grid,” said Cindy Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems. “Geothermal energy storage is a viable solution for long-duration storage and an alternative for short-duration lithium-ion batteries. Electric utilities and co-ops like SMECI, will be able to use our technology to complement wind and solar, and stabilize the grid.”

The facility will use Sage’s proprietary technology to store energy, targeting 6-to-10-hour storage durations and delivering a round-trip efficiency (RTE) of 70-75%. In addition, water losses are targeted to be less than 2%. At scale, this energy storage system will be paired with renewable energy to provide baseload and dispatchable power to the electric grid. When combined with solar power, the facility will enable round-the-clock electricity generation at a blended Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) well under US$0.10/kWh.

Craig Courter, CEO, SMECI, said, “Long-duration energy storage is crucial for the ERCOT utility grid, especially with the increasing integration of intermittent wind and solar power generation. We are excited to be part of this innovative project that showcases the potential of geothermal energy storage.” 

Sage will operate as a merchant, buying and selling electricity to the ERCOT grid.

Sage will be applying for two drilling permits in Texas. The first permit is in Atascosa County for the EarthStore facility in Christine and the second permit is in Starr County, adjacent to the company’s existing test well.