Ormat Technologies has broken new ground as it has partnered with DEEP Earth Energy to launch Canada’s first 5MW conventional geothermal power plant.
The two companies have signed a Notice to Proceed Agreement, marking the first step in redefining the region’s energy landscape by bringing the green energy source online. The project marks a significant milestone in Canada’s commitment to sustainable energy as the region has long since been established as having vast geothermal potential.
DEEP Earth Energy’s President and CEO, Kirsten Marcia, said, “We are grateful to have such a strong and committed partner as DEEP prepared to become Canada’s first commercial conventional geothermal power producer. Together, we will revolutionise the geothermal power industry, incorporating DEEP’s first-in-the-world horizontal well design and Ormat’s ORC power generation equipment.”
Ran Reshef, Vice President of International Sales for Ormat Technologies, commented, “It is with great honour that we find ourselves at the forefront of this pivotal transformation in the Canadian energy landscape. As we move forward, let it be known that this is just the beginning.”
Seequent, a Bentley Subsurface company, has agreed to acquire Flow State Solutions, a leader in geothermal simulation software, in a bid to cement its position as a comprehensive subsurface provider for the geothermal sector.
Graham Grant, CEO, Seequent, remarked, “Geothermal has the potential to help solve the world’s biggest energy challenges. With this acquisition, Seequent’s best-in-class subsurface analysis software enables a full understanding of geothermal asset performance.”
The geothermal reservoir, wellbore and surface network simulation software of Flow State Solutions helps customers better understand geothermal resources for development and optimisation. As per the agreement, the company’s Volsung portfolio will be combined with Seequent’s capabilities to create a robust end-to-end solution for reservoir analysis. Detailed models of the subsurface built in Leapfrog Energy can be utilised in Flow State Solutions’ simulation environment to build a full picture of a geothermal asset.
Flow State Solutions co-founder, Jonathon Clearwater, who will join Seequent as Technical Domain Expert, Reservoir Engineering, commented, “We are excited to join Seequent’s energy team. By combining Seequent’s expertise and our technical capability in geothermal modeling, we are looking forward to making a significant contribution to the renewable energy transition through improved management of natural resources.”
Simon Webbison, Vice President, Exploration and Resource Management, Ormat Technologies, said, “Ormat Technologies is one of the largest and most active geothermal companies globally, and we are delighted to see the combination of Seequent and Flow State Solutions software capabilities through this acquisition. We already use both companies’ software to better understand our geothermal assets and predict performance, and we are looking forward to working with the joint team to continue driving our success.”
Fervo Energy, a leader in geothermal technology, has marked the start of exploration drilling at its Cape Station, US, with a groundbreaking ceremony.
The next-generation geothermal energy project is expected to deliver 400MW of 24/7 electricity after it reaches full scale production in 2028.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management, Laura Daniel Davis, commented, “At the Interior Department, we have been moving quickly to meet President Biden’s goal of achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. The Cape Station geothermal energy project we are celebrating today is an important milestone in our effort to make that goal a reality.”
The project will likely be the first of many designed to exploit the vast geothermal potential Utah is home to. It is estimated that just the southwest portion of the state contains more than 10GW of high-quality geothermal reserves.
Utah Governor, Spencer Cox, remarked, “Geothermal innovations like those pioneered by Fervo will play a critical role in extending Utah’s energy leadership for generations to come.”
Fervo Energy, one of the leaders in next-generation geothermal technology, has announced the successful completion of its well test at its full-scale commercial pilot project, Project Red, in Nevada.
The successful test confirmed the commercial viability of Fervo’s drilling technology and further established Project Red as one of the most productive enhanced geothermal systems (ESG) to date. The 30-day well test achieved a flow rate of 63 litres per second at high temperature, which enabled 3.5MW of electric production, setting new records for both flow and power output from an EGS.
Fervo is the first company to successfully drill a horizontal well pair for commercial geothermal production, achieving lateral lengths of 3,250 ft, and reaching temperatures of 191°C. Data collected through the course of this pilot prohject will enable rapid advancement in geothermal deployment, with Fervo’s next horizontal well pair planned to achieve more than double the power output of the pilot design.
Tim Latimer, Fervo Energy CEO and Co-Founder, said, “By applying drilling technology from the oil and gas industry, we have proven that we can produce 24/7 carbon-free energy resources in new geographies across the world. The incredible results we share today are the product of many years of dedicated work and commitment from Fervo employees and industry partners, especially Google.”
Fervo and Google signed the world’s first corporate agreement in 2021 to develop next-generation geothermal power. The end goal for the partnership is to power Google’s Cloud region in Las Vegas with an ‘always-on’, carbon-free resource that will reduce the company’s hourly reliance on fossil fuels.
Results from Project Red indicate that geothermal energy could supply more than 20% of US power needs and compliment wind and solar in order to reach a fully decarbonised grid.
Next-generation leader in geothermal technology, Fervo Energy, has announced a US$10mn strategic investment from Devon Energy Corporation in order to initiate a partnership between the two companies and apply Devon’s 50-plus years of innovation in oil and gas to Fervo’s advanced geothermal capabilities.
Co-founder and CEO of Fervo, Tim Latimer, said, “We are thrilled to have Devon as a partner. Devon is a technology leader with historic and unparalleled expertise in drilling and completing wells. We expect this partnership will help unlock further potential for geothermal as the primary 24/7 renewable energy source.”
“We are excited about this partnership with Fervo, and innovator and leader in the enhanced geothermal space,” commented David Harris, chief corporate development officer and executive vice president, Devon.
“This investment is a good match for Devon’s new energy ventures strategy.”
Fervo applies horizontal drilling, multi-stage well completion and distributed fibre optic sensing to geothermal reservoir development, delivering higher reliability on projects. Fervo’s approach makes geothermal power accessible in far more places than before and increases its potential as a widespread energy source.
Geothermal Technologies (GTI), a company dedicated to developing clean energy, has filed for drilling permits with the Division of Water Resources in the State of Colorado, US.
GTI is seeking to drill geothermal wells for the purpose of generating utility-scale electricity in the Denver-Julesburg (D-J) Basin. GTI’s proprietary GenaSys Geothermal Energy Harvesting System ushers in the latest generation of geothermal technologies. When coupled with advanced Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power generation technology, GTI’s innovative system enables the efficient extraction of geothermal energy in geographic regions around the globe that have been out of reach using conventional approaches.
“This is an important step forward in our plans to construct a first-of-its-kind geothermal power plant in the D-J using GTI’s proprietary suite of technologies,” said J. Gary McDaniel, CEO of GTI. “We are excited about the potential that exists in Colorado for the development of advanced geothermal power. GTI has calculated that the thermal prospect in the DJ Basin has over 5GW of geothermal energy that can be harvested using our technology. Our field development plan for generating power indicates we can install up to 400MW of baseload electricity production.”
Jim Hollis, President and COO of GTI, added, “Our GenaSys technology promises to make geothermal baseload power both low in cost and truly scalable – locally, regionally, and globally. We plan to begin by constructing a small 5MW power plant in the D-J basin and then scale from there.”
Onshore seismic acquisition and imaging experts, STRYDE, has enabled five new geothermal projects in Q1 of 2023 with the supply of its low-cost seismic technology, with a further five contracts for scheduled to commence during Q2.
The global contracts, equating to a six-figure sum, will see the company’s technology deployed across the US, Middle East and Europe.
Two of the ten contracts include nodal equipment supply and seismic data processing for STYDE’s largest geothermal project to date in the Middle East, as well as a European survey that was constructed alongside a geological research centre in Belgium. Five of the seismic surveys have already commenced, and all ten are expected to be completed by the summer of 2023.
Nick Tranter, STRYDE’s Business Development Manager for New Energy, said, “Within the renewable energy space, STRYDE presents a cost-effective and reliable solution to help geothermal operators de-risk investment decisions, with high-resolution seismic data.”
Mike Popham, STRYDE CEO, commented, “I am proud to have STRYDE play a part in supporting the energy industry transition towards net-zero. Our technology has proven to be a key tool in propelling more than 20 geothermal projects to date, by providing an economically viable solution for understanding and monitoring the subsurface.”
Razor Energy Corp. in conjunction with FutEra Power Corp. has announced the successful construction, commission and operation of its co-produced geothermal power project in Swan Hills, Alberta.
The project combines an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Turbine, which captures geothermal heat from the production fluid, and a Natural Gas Turbine (NGT). Both the ORC and NGT have grid interconnections which enable direct sales of electricity to the Alberta grid, and both systems have been running in a steady state while optimisation efforts are being made in order to reach the designed capacity.
Razor produces and injects large volumes of hot production fluid on a daily basis as part of its ongoing conventional oil and gas operations, and FutEra capitalises on that by capturing the geothermal heat energy from the fluid and using it to generate power with zero greenhouse gas emissions. The co-production element of the project means there is no new surface land footprint as the project utilises existing assets such as processing infrastructure, producing wells, produced water reinjection system and an operating gathering and distribution system.
In addition, the co-production approach enables Alberta’s fledgling geothermal industry to develop alongside the powerhouse of Alberta’s world-class oil and gas operations.
Justin Reimer, CEO of Emissions Reduction Alberta, said, “Alberta has long championed the geothermal industry. It is exciting to watch an idea for a pilot project grow into an industry-scale, commercial operation. This made-in-Alberta solution ushers in a new era of clean energy that will spur an entirely new industry in the province that taps into our existing oil and gas resources and expertise.”
FutEra’s next phase of the project will see the addition of solar, and potentially carbon capture, with the objective to create a net negative carbon emitting traditional oil and gas asset.
Global leader in well integrity and production optimisation, Coretrax, has successfully delivered its DAV MX circulation sub; a solution which will cool an estimated 400⁰C geothermal well bottom hole temperature by nearly 200⁰C in the US.
The solution was deployed during a planned closed-loop geothermal well project by a US operator, where the estimated bottom hole static temperature was 400⁰C. Operating at temperatures this high poses a high threat of equipment failure, so an effective and reliable ‘staging’ method was required in the hole to cool down the temperature-sensitive measurement while drilling (MWD) technology.
Staging is common practice for high temperature wellbores to prevent MED failures which normally involves pumping conventionally through the drill bit to cool the BHA. However, this method can result in the motor rotating the drill bit, causing possible damage in the cased and upper granite section as well as damage to the tech itself, meaning a more reliable method is required.
The application of Coretrax’s DAV MX delivered significant time savings while maintaining well integrity and improving safety. Estimated bottom hole temperatures were reduced from the estimated 400⁰C to 210⁰C. The tool was deployed with the Split Flow Dart, which allowed a limited flow through the motor and drill bit, reducing the rotations per minute while delivering high flow rate to effectively cool the BHA and borehole.
John Fraser, Chief Executive Officer, Coretrax, said, “The geothermal market has experienced significant growth in recent years in response to global environmental objectives and Coretrax already has a tangible track record in supporting these developments globally. Our range of downhole circulation tools are ideally placed to support the high temperatures and complexities of geothermal wells.
“The latest project is a strong example of how technology which has traditionally been applied to oil and gas operations can support this expanding sector to address the most complex well challenges while delivering enhanced reliability and greater efficiencies.”
The downhole circulation tool can be used across a wide range of applications including hole cleaning, displacements, lost circulation material spotting and blowout preventer jetting, among others.
As the focus on environmental sustainability has never been more prevalent across all industries than it is right now, the race is on to find long-term renewable solutions to the climate crisis. Operators across the globe are trying to make their innovations in the oil and gas industry as green as possible, but that is not an easy stepping-stone to overcome.
Geothermal energy could be the answer so many are looking for. It is a method of clean energy which bridges the gap between the oil and gas industry and renewable energy sources in order to reach net zero. The US has already increased federal funding by millions of dollars in 2022 alone to widen the scope of geothermal projects up and down the country, tapping into the underutilized potential beneath our feet.
A key area of interest within the geothermal industry is that of repurposing end-of-life oil and gas wells. Geothermal companies can turn these assets back into active wells, only producing a slightly different end-product, negating the need for decommissioning services and the associated costs. Operators can turn their liabilities into profitable assets at a quarter of the cost while producing green energy.
In spite of the benefits associated with geothermal, there are a number of issues holding the industry back from becoming a mainstream alternative. For one, the extortionate upfront costs associated with starting geothermal projects from scratch prove a wall too vast to climb in most instances, as well as the technological challenges that present themselves when working with temperatures of this calibre.
Nevertheless, advanced methods and technologies are working at mitigating against the challenges posed by geothermal extraction, using expertise from the oil and gas industry to finesse already existing drilling equipment in order to marry the industries together to be able to harness a green energy source born from an oil well.
Chevron Corporation has announced a joint venture with Baseload Capital to develop geothermal projects in the US.
Through its Chevron New Energies business, the two companies will collaborate on driving geothermal opportunities, including identifying locations with the best prospect for development and streamlining the next generation of geothermal technologies from conception to commercialisation. The agreement will allow the two companies to highlight the importance of geothermal energy and raise awareness on the criticality of it as a supply option.
Chevron and Baseload Capital believe the answer to reaching a low-carbon future is through the utilisation of all energy forms working together, and geothermal will provide a reliable source of baseload power which will be a critical element in developing future energy systems. The joint venture will leverage the two companies’ operational experience, combined with core competencies from the oil and gas sector, particularly surrounding subsurface, wells, drilling and completions to advance geothermal technologies.
The first project site has already been identified as Weepah Hills, Nevada. Previous geothermal research and exploration projects already exist in Esmerelda County, and the two companies will pursue development of these going forward.
Barbara Harrison, Vice President, Offsets and Emerging, Chevron New Energies, said, “We believe that to make the geothermal ecosystem a reality, we must take these important steps through collaboration and partnership, and this example with Baseload Capital is a great start towards pursuing our lower carbon goals for the future.”
CEO of Baseload Capital, Alexander Helling, commented, “It is time for the geothermal industry to take its place as an obvious part of the energy mix. Right now, everything is in the industry’s favour to move from niche to mainstream.
“We have no time to waste and no excuse for not picking up the pace here and now. Together with Chevron, we believe that the transition to a greener planet, with the help of geothermal, is going to be much faster.”
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