Asia Pacific

• Region: All
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Nov, 2024

Seequent, the Bentley subsurface company, has announced it has entered it a strategic partnership with the International Geothermal Association (IGA) to boost the role of geothermal power as a reliable renewable energy source.

Currently, Seequent software supports more than half of the world’s geothermal electricity production. The company has been one of the forefront leaders in bringing technical advancements to the industry, for example it has helped bring geothermal energy directly into homes in both Paris and Munich for heating.

The company’s latest innovations include adding new capabilities to its software to trace fluids more accurately, leading to more efficient resource management and more sustainable geothermal operations.

Graham Grant, Chief Executive Officer at Seequent, said, “Seequent is honoured to partner with the International Geothermal Association for the next two years. We will work with global partners to build clear and consistent messaging for the industry, positioning geothermal as a vital contributor to the energy transition.

“An emerging use case for geothermal is the rise of hyperscale AI-enabled data centres which represent a rapidly emerging new form of power demand requiring reliable baseload, or consistent, power supply. Geothermal is the cleanest form of renewable energy able to provide this baseload power and should play a key role in future data centre strategy globally.”

Seequent customer Fervo Energy is applying its technology to find new ways to produce geothermal energy for Google’s data centres in Nevada.

Marit Brommer, Chief Executive Officer of the IGA, commented, “We are excited to partner with Seequent, whose technological innovations in subsurface modelling bring clarity to geothermal development, empowering countries to leverage this clean energy resource and drive meaningful progress toward global net zero goals.

“We encourage other industry leaders and companies to join and amplify promotion of geothermal, as collaborative efforts are key to unlocking geothermal's full potential for a sustainable future."

• Region: APAC
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: June, 2024

Following encouraging results from extensive surveys, INPEX Corporation has decided to go ahead with exploratory drilling for geothermal energy development in Shibetsu Town, Hokkaido, Japan. 

Since its nomination in the process of the 'Selection of Operators for the Musadake Region Geothermal Survey' in Shibetsu Town in 2020, INPEX has been conducting surface and geophysical surveys as well as drilling operations in the Sempo area northwest of Mount Musadake in the western part of Shibetsu Town. It took a positive turn as the company came across geothermal resources from the site, which can potentially actualise its net zero ambitions while expanding its clean energy business in Japan. 

Accelerating geothermal initiatives

INPEX aims to accelerate its geothermal initiatives by tapping into the technologies it cultivated through oil and natural gas development. The company has plans to proactively engage in energy landscape development to help
realise a net zero carbon society while fulfilling its responsibilities for the stable development and supply of energy.

• Region: APAC
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: June, 2024

In a drive to leverage Indonesia's vast geothermal poetntial, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk and PT PLN Indonesia Power have signed a joint development agreement (JDA) in Jakarta to optimise the capacity of several geothermal power plants (PLTP) in the country. 

This JDA comes after the joint development study agreement (JDSA) that the companies signed in February.

Julfi Hadi, President Director of PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Tbk, said, "The signing of this JDA demonstrates our strong commitment to increasing the utilisation of Indonesia's abundant geothermal resources to support the acceleration of the national energy transition, achieve the government's commitment to the Enhanced National Determined Contribution (NDC), and the Net Zero Emission programme in Indonesia. We believe this cooperation will accelerate the development of more efficient and sustainable geothermal projects as one of PGE's strategic efforts to achieve 1 GW in the next two years." 

The JDA primarily aims to develop co-generation projects in two geothermal working areas. The approach will involve utilisation of brine or hot water from steam separation, to stimulate electricity production.

The initial target for the PLTP Co-Generation (Binary Plant) development is in the Ulubelu Binary Unit and Lahendong Binary Unit PLTP areas, potentially adding 30 MW and 15 MW of installed capacity, respectively.

Noting that the initiative can increase PGE's installed capacity by up to 230 MW, Hadi said, "This JDA allows us to focus on increasing electricity capacity and accelerating geothermal energy development as part of the national energy transition strategy. By applying principles of operational excellence, we ensure that every stage from development to project operation is carried out efficiently and with the highest quality, thereby increasing the use of renewable energy."

Next step: Power Purchase Agreement

Following the success of the JDA, the PGE and PLN IP will soon make effective a power purchase agreement (PPA). "We hope this JDA can serve as an example for other renewable energy projects in Indonesia. With strong synergy and collaboration, we can achieve our goal of creating a more sustainable energy future," Hadi said.

Also present at the JDA signing was Norman Ginting, Project and Operations Director of Pertamina New & Renewable Energy (Pertamina NRE), who appreciated and hoped that this collaboration and synergy could continue. "Today, Pertamina through PGE and PLN through PLN IP have successfully signed a JDA as an important milestone for geothermal development. Pertamina NRE highly appreciates this step and hopes that in the future, these two important national energy SOEs can collaborate and synergise to drive more massive decarbonisation," Ginting said.

Vice President of Corporate Communication of PT Pertamina (Persero), Fadjar Djoko Santoso, said, "Geothermal development is an effort to support the Government in achieving the national energy mix target and also Pertamina's effort in developing New Renewable Energy."

• Region: All
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Apr, 2024

GreenFire Energy Inc. and Stoic Transitional Resources have announced a pioneering collaboration effort for innovative geothermal energy solutions.

Through a cross-license agreement that covers GreenFire’s patented GreenLoop technology and Stoic’s patent-pending Flux Crossover, the companies will focus their efforts on repurposing existing oil and gas wells and non-productive geothermal wells to harness the potential of geothermal energy.

GreenFire’s Greenloop technology is a closed loop advanced geothermal system which provides solutions that assure the availability of resilient, sustainable and scalable geothermal energy for a range of applications, including power and direct use heating and cooling. The Stoic technology aims to enhance the GreenLoop performance.

Stoic’s Flux Crossover combined with the GreenLoop technology will enhance performance by optimising flow patterns, minimising parasitic heat loss and double heat transfer efficiency. The two companies announced a partnership last year for the development of geothermal projects through utilising abandoned wells in New Zealand and Canada.

Steven Brown, President of GreenFire Energy Inc., said, “We are pleased to be collaborating with Stoic Transitional resources. GreenFire Energy’s technology has the capability to economically repurpose idle geothermal wells and expand implementations in geothermal fields. Collaborating with Stoic’s technology will enhance performance and broaden GreenFire Energy’s solutions.”

Joe Tarrant, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Stoic, commented, “Our commitment extends beyond innovation to fostering sustainable partnerships and empowering communities. Stoic’s pioneering approach to clean energy aligns perfectly with our mission, emphasising the value proposition for data centre customers.”

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Apr, 2024

With the race to a net zero future continues to heat up across the globe, more eyes are turning towards geothermal methods as a suitable alternative for energy. While the US continues to dominate the word stage when it comes to geothermal production, there is a giant lying under the surface across the Asia Pacific.

With Indonesia boasting a predicted capacity of 27GW, and both the Philippines and New Zealand ramping up their installed capacity year-on-year, APAC has become one of the key global players in the geothermal game, already producing 35% of geothermal generation worldwide.

However, the burning question that faces the region is do the myriad of issues presented by factors such as limited resources, a lack of governmental funding and a challenging topography to contend with mean that the colossal potential lying underground will have to remain as such, rather than be utilised as a fruitful source of energy?

As the majority of geothermal resources are associated with volcanic activity in high terrain, exploration projects become more challenging and require additional resources and infrastructure, such that the region may not have access to. Financial stability is also a crucial factor waging a war against the utilisation of geothermal energy throughout APAC as the resource is not necessarily a commercial viable option for many operators.

Nevertheless, measures are being put into place to mitigate against these challenges, with government policies changing to accommodate green energy funds and private sectors and investing higher sums into the industry, there is a hope of prosperous future.

The Asia Pacific Geothermal Transition Outlook attempts to analyse the key players within the region and outlines where the pitfalls and mitigations lay ahead of the inaugural GTS APAC 2024 conference in Jakarta from 9-10 July.

• Region: APAC
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: April, 2024

In a breakthrough exploration of 250mn-year-old granite in South China, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) has completed the drilling of Fushen-1 Well in Hainan.

At 5,200 m, it is the deepest geothermal exploration well in China.

Started in last August, the company notes this as a milestone reached in less than a year.

This has been made possible by Sinopec's deployment of several independently developed innovative technologies, including the combination of dual-drive drilling and high-pression injection, to reach the temperature limit of hot dry rock stipulated by the national energy industry standards, while forming the key technologies of detection and evaluation of deep geothermal resources.

Sinopec's next steps will include extensive research and field tests at Fushen-1 Well, building the first platform that brings together research, education, and experimentation of deep geothermal in South China. This will help formulate theoretical methods and technical systems applicable to the region, paving the path towards the country's 'Dual-Carbon' goal.

China's geological surveys have revealed that the hot dry rock geothermal resources within the range of 3 kms to 10,000 m underground in China's land area are equivalent to 856 trillion tons of standard coal. Every 2% of them equals 2,993 times the annual energy consumption of China in 2023. The country has an accumulated geothermal heating capacity of nearly 100 mn sq m with several multi-million-square-meter regional geothermal heating projects already built and in operation.

• Region: New Zealand
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Mar, 2024

Contact has released a statement stating that its Tauhara project is likely to be online by winter this year, with an initial capacity of at least 152MW.

This comes as the company notes steady progress of the commissioning works at the Tauhara geothermal plant, post successful completion of remedial work to the steam separation plant.

Power station commissioning activities are all in place to start before it is synched to the system by early May. This will be followed by 30-day reliability run required to support commercial operations.

A decarbonisation strategy 

The company has acknowledged the project team's tireless contribution to deliver the Tauhara commissioning timeline and do justice to the project's worldclass standards. It considers the Tauhara geothermal project a part of Contact26, the company’s strategy to lead the decarbonisation of New Zealand.

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Feb, 2024

Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), an Indonesia-based company, has signed a Memorandum of Confidentiality Agreement with Turkish energy company Kipaş Holding to start a cooperation for the utilisation of geothermal energy.

The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara facilitated PGE’s efforts to seek cooperation in geothermal exploration with various companies throughout Türkiye. PGE and Kipaş Holding are both interested in carrying our exploration projects cooperatively in both Türkiye and Indonesia, and are open to the possibility of a joint investments elsewhere.

The signing of the agreement was carried out by Julfi Hadi, President Director of PGE, and Mehmet Şişman, General manager of Kipaş Holding, witnessed by the Indonesian Ambassador to Türkiye, Achmad Rizal Purnama.

“We are happy to have met with Pertamina Geothermal Energy and hope that the cooperation will be fruitful with an exchange of information and experience for geothermal energy sector improvement in both Türkiye and Indonesia,” commented Şişman.

• Region: All
• Topics: All Topics
• Date: Jan, 2024

Coretrax is set for further growth as the company has secured five multi-year contract wins for 2024 and plans to expand its footprint in the Asia Pacific region by a further 30%.

The latest deals encompass key milestones including the business’ first project win in Latin America and its first expandable casing patch deployment in the UAE.

Following a string of successful geothermal and carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, Coretrax has secured its largest geothermal contract to date – a multi-year project in Denmark where it will deliver its Origin wellbore clean up technology across 17 geothermal wells.

The entire well lifecycle

John Fraser, CEO of Coretrax, stated, “We have experienced a period of sustained growth and are excited to be entering 2024 with a strong pipeline of work and plans for further expansion in the coming months. Our technology spans the entire well lifecycle which means we can support operators from drilling right through to the plugging and abandonment phase.”

The company is also expected to increase its 320-strong workforce by an additional 100 personnel across its bases in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

“The coming 12 months will see us increase our headcount and footprint globally,” Fraser continued, “with Asia Pacific a particular focus for the business as we respond to increasing demand for our technology across countries including Australia, Brunei and Malaysia. We are also eager to extend our operations in the geothermal and CCS sectors with our circulation tools gaining a strong track record in these emerging markets.”

The contract wins come off the back of the company expanding its well intervention offering by acquiring a suite of new technology from Wireline Drilling Technologies.

• Region: Asia Pacific
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Nov, 2023

PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) has announced its cooperation with Chevron New Energies International (Chevron) and Mubadala Energy to embark on a Joint Study Agreement (JSA) to explore the geothermal potential in Indonesia.

The JSA aims to capitalise on the companies’ strengths and experience, namely bringing together PGE’s scale as the largest geothermal producing company in Indonesia, Chevron’s expansive capabilities as a multinational energy company committed to providing cleaner energy, and Mubadala Energy’s record in delivering reliable and efficient energy to the region while playing a continuous active role in the energy transition.

The agreement provides a comprehensive framework to conduct a joint study into developing the Kotamobagu Geothermal Working Area (WKP). The agreement falls in line with the Indonesian government’s recent announcement that the region will target an addition of 3.3 GW of installed geothermal capacity by 2030.

President Director of PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy, Julfi Hadi, said, “Our Joint Study Agreement this time aims to utilise the complementary strengths of the three parties in developing geothermal in Kotamobagu.”

Wahyu Budiarto, Chevron Indonesia Country Manager, commented, “This is Chevron’s fifith collaboration with Pertamina and we are excited about the addition of Mubadala Energy in the Kotamobagu WKP. We look forward to bringing into the partnership Chevron’s technical expertise and new geothermal technologies to explore renewable energy resources to support Indonesia’s energy transition goals.”

Mansoor Mohamed Al Hamed, CEO of Mubadala Energy, concluded, “With our track record of delivering strategic energy resources in Indonesia for over a decade, we are excited about this partnership with PGE and Chevron to explore the expansion of geothermal energy, an important segment of Indonesia’s clean energy growth ambitions. The opportunity to explore such projects is embedded in Mubadala Energy’s commitment to playing an active role in the energy transition as we continue to support Indonesia’s Net Zero targets.”

• Region: All
• Topics: Geothermal

MB Century (MBC), an engineering and maintenance specialist for the geothermal and hydro sector, has partnered with GNS Science (GNS), a research institute, to support the geothermal industry in the Philippines and across the globe.

The agreement, which was announced on the eve of the 4th Philippine International Geothermal Conference (PIGC), focuses on supporting the Philippines geothermal sector in achieving the decarbonisation goals set by the Government. The two will combine their expertise to support international partners in their efforts to achieve efficient and sustainable solutions in geothermal development for the country and other key international markets such as Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. Further plans are in place to expand into the USA, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Turkey, Italy and South America.

Gary Wilson, General Manager of Research, Strategy and Partnerships at GNS Science, remarked, “This partnership is a great example of New Zealand companies working together to leverage New Zealand expertise globally. Both MB Century and GNS Science have worked at the forefront of geothermal energy development and optimisation for decades.

“We are motivated to share our collective experience with other countries globally to maximise the potential of this renewable energy resource.”

Greg Thompson, CEO MB Century, added, “This agreement provides a robust framework for our geothermal cooperation, encompassing joint investigations, international projects, scientific and technical exchanges, and personnel growth and development.

“We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and look forward to a fruitful partnership with GNS Science as we pioneer innovative solutions in the field of energy.”

• Region: All
• Topics: Geothermal
• Date: Sept, 2023

GreenFire Energy Inc. (GreenFire) has partnered with Stoic Transitional Resources Inc. (Stoic), to jointly develop geothermal projects through the utilisation of abandoned assets in New Zealand and Western Canada.

GreenFire will utilise its patented closed-loop technology, GreenFire’s GreenLoop, to transform idle oil and gas wells into productive geothermal assets, with Stoic will provide its expertise and access to geothermal resources in New Zealand and oil and gas resources in Western Canada.

GreenLoop is a closed-loop Advanced Geothermal System (AGS) which can economically access the entire spectrum of geothermal and certain oil and gas resources, with the technology enabling operators and developers to retrofit idle wells, expand existing fields with new wells and de-risk the development of new geothermal resources quickly.

Steven Brown, VP Project Development for GreenFire Energy, said, “GreenFire Energy is implementing our patented GreenFire’s GreenLoop technology in geothermal projects across the globe. This partnership has the potential to accelerate geothermal energy developments in New Zealand and Western Canada and expand our reach to bring clean energy and economic vitality to new regions.”

Phil Keele, COO for Stoic’s Calgary branch, commented, “We firmly believe that the alliance between GreenFire Energy and Stoic Transitional Resources encapsulates a transformative energy philosophy that will resonate with the global public. Together, we’re positioned to usher in an era defined by carbon-free, green electricity, that generates gigawatt hours of power while championing environmental stewardship.”