Under current law, foreign entities cannot own a majority stake in renewable energy development in the Philippines, but this is about to change, as reported by the Manila Bulletin.

The Philippine government, through the Department of Energy (DOE), is advancing a policy re-casting that will allow full or 100-percent foreign ownership in renewable energy (RE) projects.

The current arrangement requires a 60% majority equity by Philippines interest in the project companies. This has been a hurdle for investment and always seen as obstacle to attract foreign investment into renewable energy development in the country.

With the current economic circumstances, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi disclosed that one of the policy re-alignments he will push for is allowing full entry of foreign investors in the RE sector.

“I’m looking at allowing 100-percent investment or ownership in renewables,” the energy chief stated at the “Innovation in Energy” forum of the Philippine Energy Independence Council (PEIC), emphasizing that while the main focus at this point is on geothermal, he is advancing that policy modification to actually cover all RE technologies.

Cusi reiterated that while the Philippines’s dominance on geothermal energy development had already been slithering from the country’s grip, which he considers a ‘regretful development’, he noted that his target is for the government to pick up the pieces and then strengthen capital funneling in that sub-segment of the energy sector.

A parallel policy fortification that the DOE has been sorting out is extending the duration of RE service contracts that shall be awarded to investors. RE service contracts currently have a tenor of 25 years and could be renewed for another 25 years, subject to terms and conditions.

“Another that I am looking at changing the policy – to help in reducing the tariff, is probably for new contracts to be given a longer period but with a lower return,” he said, adding that these parameters are being currently studied by the department.

Source: Manila Bulletin

In a post shared on LinkedIn, New Zealand Geothermal Association shared a call for suggestions related to the use of geothermal energy and businesses looking into a transition towards it.

If existing enterprise is to transition to geothermal energy then in most cases it is not just a shift in energy source that is needed, but the energy intensive part of the enterprise must relocate. A business will not normally look to relocating unless a decent proposition is available for consideration (i.e. a soundly structured business case). Suggested approach is to work with existing businesses to develop the cases for relocation in support of their energy transition.

In recent discussions with EECA and MBIE, NZGA have been suggesting 5 business cases be developed over the course of the next 12 plus months. We have been suggesting 5 business cases might require resourcing of say 1 to 1.5 Million. Resourcing is one aspect – the other is to have specific businesses identified that might benefit from such a relocation for whom a business case could be developed.

NZGA is looking for your suggestions for who these businesses might be. Please send your suggestions to committee@nzgeothermal.org.nz

Source: NZGA via LinkedIn

In the RESULT (Enhancing REServoirs in Urban deveLopmenT) project, TNO – together with ENGIE, Huisman Geo and EBN – will be investigating whether an innovative drilling technique can make the production of geothermal heat from thin reservoirs economically feasible. With this project, the consortium wants to demonstrate that the new drilling technique can improve the production from thin reservoirs by 30-100%. The preferred location, which may be suitable for this demonstration, is in the municipality of Zwolle. The final location will be known in 2021. The research project has been positively assessed by the European subsidy programme Geothermica and has received a subsidy decision of a maximum of 5.7 million euros.

The economic potential of thin reservoirs

In the Master Plan Geothermal Energy in the Netherlands, the ambition has been set out to use geothermal energy to heat approximately 25% of homes, light industry and the horticulture sector by 2050. There are now approximately 24 so-called doublets; 20 of these are in production, mainly in Westland and North Holland. In these areas, there is a great deal of knowledge about the deep subsurface and there are suitable reservoirs for geothermal heat extraction. The economically extractable potential depends strongly on the depth, thickness and permeability of these reservoirs in the deep subsurface. An economically feasible project requires a permeable stratum, preferably  100 metres thick. However, there is hope that sufficient heat can be extracted from less thick and less permeable layers using alternative techniques. Maurice Hanegraaf of TNO: “If the drilling with the new technique succeeds, geothermal energy can be developed in many more areas of the Netherlands than is currently the case.”

Demonstration in Zwolle

Following extensive geological, technical and economic preliminary research, a borehole is required in which the technique can be demonstrated. If this demonstration proves successful, a second one will follow. Remco van Ee of Huisman Geo continues: “For Zwolle, we are assuming a stratum of approximately 60 metres at the location where a heat network can be developed. Through multilateral drilling – a form of drilling with different lateral branches – we want to demonstrate that production can be significantly increased and costs can be reduced using innovative tools as compared to regular drilling techniques. In a successful demonstration, the first well will be the production well and the second will be the injection well.” Councillor Monique Schuttenbeld of the municipality of Zwolle: “In Zwolle, we have already done a lot of preliminary work in order to be able to use geothermal energy as a sustainable source of heat for the city. In Dijklanden, we’ve found a suitable location for this. The site next to the neighbourhoods of Holtenbroek and Aa-landen is very favourable. For these neighbourhoods, a heat network seems to be the best alternative to heating with natural gas. Research shows that the subsurface is suitable for the extraction of geothermal heat, but that there’s a stratum with a limited thickness. RESULT’s goal therefore fits in very well with the situation in Zwolle. For us, this project is a wonderful opportunity to take the development of geothermal energy in Zwolle to the next phase.” 

About the research project

The total project cost of RESULT is estimated at EUr 18 million, of which up to EUR 5.7 million will come from the European subsidies programme Geothermica. The remainder will be invested by consortium parties following a final investment decision. In advance of this project, Huisman Geo and TNO will test this drilling technique extensively at another location. TNO has a facility called Rijswijk Centre for Sustainable Geo-energy (RCSG), where the innovative drilling technique will be tested this year at a depth of 400 metres. After a successful trial, this technique in RESULT will be able to be used at greater depths.

Source: Company release

The Swiss Confederation (federal government of Switzerland) increases its support to the developer of the geothermal project in Haute-Sorne. It increases the contribution to exploration for the Géo-Energie Suisse project, which is part of its 2050 energy strategy. The budget increases from from approximately CHF 64 million (USD 66m) to CHF 90 million (USD 93 million) . The Federal Office of Energy announced Tuesday in a statement. This should make it possible to support additional measures aimed at minimizing the risk of earthquakes, pointed out by the government of the canton of Jura which has announced plans to bury the project (we reported).

The Federal Office of Energy responded positively to a request made by Géo-Energie Suisse last February. The increase in the contribution to exploration to the tune of around CHF 26 million should make it possible to extend the initial security system to include the most recent measurement and control technologies. Adjustments recommended by the Swiss Seismological Service.

Recommendations from the Swiss Seismological Service

The Swiss Seismological Service has indeed made recommendations for additional measures which go beyond the current state of knowledge and technology. These are innovative and pilot in nature and their implementation will entail additional costs of around CHF 43 million. The group of experts mandated by the SFOE certifies that the new planning thus includes all that is humanly possible to reduce the risk of earthquake as much as possible. This news of course delights the promoter Géo-Energie Suisse. He believes in a press release sent immediately that the project now has a double safety net.

Contacted by our editorial team, the Jura environment minister David Eray believes that this new element does not change the current procedure. As a reminder, the executive announced in early April that it wanted to withdraw the authorization issued for the deep geothermal energy project in Haute-Sorne, notably due to the numerous hostile reactions from both the population and the political world.

Source: RFJ

The Republic of Kenya has prevailed in an ICSID international arbitration case, WalAm Energy Inc. vs the Republic of Kenya at the Washington based International Centre for Settlement of Investment disputes. This was announced in a press release by Kenya’s Attorney General.

The arbitration was filed by WalAm Energy Inc, a United States/ Canadian geothermal company headquartered in Canada. The dispute relates to Suswa geothermal fields and was filed in ICSID in February 2015. The hearing took place in London in May 2018.

WalAm Energy Inc. sued the Government following the cancellation of its Geothermal Resources Licence. WalAM Inc. contended that the Government of Kenya unlawfully revoked the Geothermal Resources Licence thereby breaching its obligations under the Geothermal Resources License and the Geothermal Resources Act, including, the unlawful expropriation and the violation of the minimum standard of treatment of foreign investors.

WalAM Energy Inc. sought to have the Geothermal Resources Licence reinstated and also sought compensation amounting to US$ 339.6 million ( Kshs 37 Billion) and interest for expropriation.

The Geothermal Resources License had been issued by the former Minister for Energy, Hon. Kiraitu Murungi on 5th September 2007 under the Geothermal Resources Act of 1982. It granted WalAm Energy Inc. exclusive rights to explore, drill for, extract, produce and dispose geothermal steam and other geothermal resources in the Suswa area for a period of thirty years.

However, in October 2012, the Government revoked the license after establishing that WalAm Energy Inc. had not performed its duties under the license and did not have capacity to undertake the required exploration and exploitation work.

The Tribunal in an award dated 10 th July 2020 thus decided as follows:

• (1) All of WalAm’s Energy Inc. claims are dismissed; and
• (2) That WalAm Energy Inc. shall bear its own legal fees and expenses and the entirety of the costs of the arbitration.

WalAm shall therefore pay the Government of Kenya US$648,857.75 ( Kshs 70,067,637) corresponding to its share of the costs of the arbitration.

WalAm shall also reimburse 75% of the Government of Kenya’s legal fees and expenses in the amount of EUR 3,586,039.28 (Kshs 441,082,797 ) and US$252,262.82 (Kshs 27,244,384.60)

The implication of this ruling is that the Ministry of Energy and the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) are now at liberty to exploit the geothermal resources in the Suswa Geothermal fields and grow the energy capacity of Kenya.

The Republic of Kenya was represented by The Office of the Attorney General, InHouse Legal Team comprising; The Attorney General Hon. P. Kihara Kariuki, Solicitor General, Mr. Kennedy Ogeto, Senior Deputy Solicitor General, Ms. Muthoni Kimani, Deputy Solicitor General, Ms. Njeri Wachira, Deputy Chief State Counsel, Ms. Pauline Mcharo , Senior State Counsels, Ms. Victoria Munyi and Mr. Charles Wamwayi, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Paris and Mr. Evans Monari and Mr. Njogu of Coulson Harney LLP.

Source: Government of Kenya Press Release

In an Open Letter to the oil patch, Joseph Scherer and John Muir of GreenFire Energy, shared on the HeatBeat blog by Jamie Beard, encourages the oil and gas sector to join forces with geothermal to develop geothermal energy resources.

In an article in support of geothermal energy, the Union of Concerned Scientists noted that the amount of available geothermal energy beneath our feet is 50,000 times more than the global total of oil and natural gas resources combined. Interesting, right? Put another way, the oil and gas industry has powered the world over the last centuries on the much smaller of our two subsurface resources – hydrocarbons and heat. Further, a groundbreaking and visionary study published by MIT entitled “The Future of Geothermal Energy” concluded that exploiting known geothermal resources could yield the equivalent of all current US energy requirements for the next 2000 years and that “with technology improvements, the economically extractable amount of useful energy could increase by a factor of 10 or more.” The MIT study was published in 2006, and since the publication date, it would be difficult to overstate the significance of relevant and enabling technology improvements that have occurred in the oil and gas industry – technology improvements so disruptive that over the past decade they have managed to rearrange global geopolitics and propel the US into energy independence.

But paradoxically, current global geothermal energy use lags far behind other energy sources, with geothermal comprising only 1% of overall energy production. The disproportionate use of this enormous, ubiquitous, clean and baseload source of energy is largely the result of a lack of technology transfer and expertise from the oil and gas industry needed to unlock deep and very hot resources. Only two percent of global geothermal resources can be accessed with technologies currently utilized by the geothermal industry.

The small and geographically constrained geothermal industry resembles the oil and gas industry of the early 1900’s, where only a fraction of the resource could be tapped with existing technologies, and only areas where ‘black gold’ and obvious signs of oil and gas existed at the surface were developed. Geothermal energy has evolved over the past century in much the same way, where geysers, steam vents, hot spots and other obvious surface signs of geothermal energy have been developed, but the resources that are not visible have been largely ignored. A study by the USGS concluded that at least 70% of global geothermal resources are yet to be discovered. And the fact of the matter is, virtually anywhere in the world if you drill far enough, you reach boiling, even supercritical temperatures.

With such a large resource available to meet the world’s swiftly increasing demand for clean, baseload and reliable energy, one would expect a booming geothermal industry. Nearly the opposite is true. The geothermal industry is too small and undercapitalized to overcome the technical hurdles that prevent it from expanding outside of its narrow confines and geographical limitations. Further, there is an insufficient volume of business to justify the R&D investments needed to get to the next level. Many business models for the largest geothermal players in the world involve further development of hydrothermal resources in limited geographical locations.

You may be wondering at this point – why hasn’t the oil and gas industry engaged in this space if the resource is so large? It’s been a straightforward business calculation. Hydrocarbons are the incumbent, and up until recently, oil and gas prices were comfortably high. Looking at this problem from the perspective of an oil and gas company, why would you divert your best geophysicists, petroleum engineers and geoscientists into geothermal energy problems when you need them for oil and gas? In seeking to diversify, oil and gas companies instead decided it would be easier to invest in traditional renewables like solar and wind and hire all new teams with the correct expertise, rather than to divert their most valuable human resources away from their core business. Times were good, and the ship sailed on.

A few pieces of this picture have changed – and dramatically so – over the past months. A majority of IOCs have made aggressive carbon neutrality commitments, and the clock is ticking. A wave of climate concern has seized global public consciousness, and hydrocarbon divestment movements have gained traction. The price of renewables has steadily decreased as they become commoditized and have benefited from decades of government subsidy, favorable regulatory conditions, and public support. And of significant consequence, demand destruction for oil and gas due to COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the oil and gas workforce.

Now that many of those highly valuable boom time geophysicists, petroleum engineers and geoscientists in the oil and gas industry are more available – let’s grab this opportunity to collaborate and kick off a Green Drilling Boom.

Geothermal energy production is a global opportunity. There are known geothermal resources on every continent, including Antarctica. Geothermal energy is tantalizingly close at all points on earth. At 10km of depth, just about every point on earth has sufficient heat for power generation. The oil and gas industry has the expertise, technologies, scale, resources, and the skilled workforce necessary to reinvent the geothermal industry and to build it into a vibrant and substantial – if not dominant – participant in the global energy portfolio. At the highest level, the geothermal industry and the oil & gas industry are essentially the same business. You explore for energy. You drill wells to extract fluids containing energy, transform that energy into a more useful form, and then distribute energy for the benefit of society. We are simply trading one energy asset for another.

Active collaboration with oil and gas companies is essential to developing the nascent “scalable” geothermal technologies that will overcome the problems that currently limit geothermal development. Chief among those geothermal technologies where oil and gas expertise is directly applicable are closed-loop systems. A closed-loop system is essentially a large-scale subterranean heat exchanger that circulates fluids to move heat from the subsurface to the surface. A closed-loop system eliminates the need for natural permeability and large volumes of water (as required by open to reservoir systems such as hydrothermal and EGS). Closed-loop systems require only high-quality heat and will enable the industry to expand at global scale into the hot dry rock that comprises the bulk of world geothermal resources.

The transition to closed-loop geothermal energy systems requires technology transfer and improvement in several oil and gas specialties. Among them are

• Cost of drilling: drilling represents more than 50% of the cost of a closed- loop well. Reductions in the cost of drilling deep wells in hot rocks are critical for competitive power generation.
• Large diameter wells: power generally increases with flow rate, so geothermal wells require larger diameters than most oil and gas wells. Leveraging work done in industry in monodiameter wells and expandable tubulars is of great interest.
• Advanced completion methods: accurately and securely joining pipes drilled from different directions and at high temperatures is essential.
• Measurement while drilling: requires heat resistant MWD tools to allow for completion of closed-loop systems at depth and in high temperatures.
• Durability: well casings, cements, and joints must maintain their integrity over long geothermal project cycles of 30+ years despite high temperatures and pressures, which can vary over time.
• Everything HPHT: all industry learning in this space would have immediate impact in the geothermal context.

Some compelling concepts to explore between the geothermal and hydrocarbon industries: 1) Repurposing hot but exhausted oil and gas wells to geothermal power generating wells. This approach also postpones or eliminates abandonment costs and liabilities; 2) Portfolio stability, predictable cash flow and insulation from the boom and bust cycle of hydrocarbons, price manipulation and global geopolitics, while leveraging industry core competencies – exploration, drilling and production; 3) the superior environmental properties of closed-loop geothermal projects (avoiding the visual blight and significant footprints of utility scale solar and wind developments, and lack of the subsurface fluid discharges, seismicity risk and surface emissions associated with EGS) would provide a straightforward and quickly implementable path to carbon neutrality, while leveraging industry core competencies.

Importantly, geothermal energy is now breaking out of its single-purpose business model. New applications for geothermal energy are continuously being developed and include; 1) extraction of strategic minerals such as lithium; 2) zero carbon production of green hydrogen and water desalination; 3) energy storage for grid stability; 4) direct heating for urban districts, universities, company campuses; and 5) provision of heat for high-temperature industrial processes.

Let’s build this future together. There is immense opportunity for very fast global impact in this recent convergence of events. With the right strategy and robust collaboration, we can beat 2050. Who’s in?

Joseph.Scherer@greenfireenergy.com

Joseph Scherer is President and CEO of GreenFire Energy. Prior to GreenFire, Joe was a Partner in Cooley LLP in San Francisco, where he headed the Credit Finance Practice Group. He is an expert in a wide range of equity and debt financings for technology companies and their financing sources, including venture capital funds, buyout funds, family funds, investment banks and commercial banks.

John.Muir@greenfireenergy.com

John Muir is a Founder of GreenFire Energy and currently Senior Vice President of Business Development where he manages strategic relationships and marketing. After 30 years of building cyber security companies, he was attracted to the challenge of making global geothermal energy a major force in combatting climate change.

Source: Post on HeatBeat.energy

The city of Litomerice has for a long time been a frontrunner in the Czech energy transition, so an article by Jaroslav Klusak of the City of Litomerice in Mpower. A former port town not far from Prague, the Capital of the Czech Republic, which has now become a commerce and service centre, the city of some 25,000 inhabitants began its energy transition in 2000 with a subsidy scheme for solar water heaters in private homes. 20 years later, Litomerice is becoming a climate-friendly role model for the Czech Republic and the Central European region.

The city is putting the emphasis on two key themes, solar energy and geothermal energy to reduce a dependence on coal and on energy consumption and efficiency by businesses and homes.

We have been reporting in the past on Litomerice‘s ambitions in geothermal in January of this year.

The city is planning to reform the heating sector with geothermal energy, which represents the largest single project by the city. As part of those efforts, geologists of the country have drilled a 1,600m deep well in proximity to the city.

The project is led by the Research Infrastructure for Geothermal Energy (RINGEN), a research group based at Charles University in Prague. It is a long-term project that might take another 10-13 years to bear fruit, but if it works, Litomerice’s entire grid will be connected to the geothermal heat supply, which is hoped will cover 70% of the city’s energy consumption. Although the grid is private, the municipality plans to operate the geothermal plant itself.

Source: Municipal Power

As reported by BN Americas earlier this week, the Philippines-based Energy Development Corp. (EDC)’s Peruvian subsidiary EDC Energía Verde Perú (EEVP) has submitted a preliminary environmental evaluation (EVAP) for its 110 MW Achumani geothermal project.

The evaluation was submitted to the Certification Service for Sustainable Investments, Senace in Peru, to allow for an evaluation wether a full environmental impact assessment, or further studies are required.

The planned investment for the 110 MW Achumani geothermal power project by EDC is estimated at around $ 560 million. The project is located in the district of Cabanconde, in Caylloma province in the southern region of Arequipa planned with two units.

Early exploration studies indicate a resource temperature of around 250-300 degrees Celsius that could support development of more than 200 MW in power generation capacity.  EDC plans to drill up to six wells to a depth of 1,500 to 2,200 meters.

The plan would be to start operations of the plant in 2027.

For further details see link below.

Source: BN Americas

In a release Swedish heat power supplier Climeon announces having begun establishing a subsidiary in Taiwan. The purpose is to further strengthen Climeon’s local presence and develop the company’s business in Taiwan.

Climeon has together with Baseload Capital worked actively in Taiwan since the beginning of 2019 to establish collaborations with local businesses, landowners and local authorities. In May 2020, Climeon won its first order within geothermal in Taiwan, worth approximately SEK 41 million. Now, Climeon is taking the next step by starting the registration and establishment of a subsidiary in the country.

“Together with Japan and Iceland, Taiwan is one of our highest prioritized geographical markets for geothermal heat power. Now that we have done the groundwork and won a first order in Taiwan, it is a good time to establish a subsidiary and take the next step,” says Thomas Öström, CEO of Climeon.

“The customers are our highest priority and thus it is also there, closest to the customers and the business, that the organization should grow”, continues Thomas Öström, CEO of Climeon.

Ruben Havsed, former Head of Geothermal Sales, has been appointed Country Manager of Climeon Taiwan.

“Taiwan’s geological conditions combined with the government’s target to increase the share of renewable power to 20 percent by 2025 results in a great potential for Climeon. I look forward to developing Climeon’s business in cooperation with local stakeholders and accelerate geothermal power production in Taiwan,” says Ruben Havsed, Country Manager of Climeon Taiwan.

Taiwan is, like Japan and the west coast of the USA, located in the “ring of fire”, an arcuate area along the Pacific Ocean coastal areas, which is known for high seismological activity and thereby also great resources of geothermal energy. Despite this, there are few active commercial geothermal power plants in the country. The greatest potential for extraction of geothermal energy is found along the eastern and northern coasts of Taiwan.

Source: company release

Over the years, we have been reporting on the Iranian geothermal project in the Meshgin Shahr county of Ardabil Province (northwestern Iran). It is now being reported that the plant is expected to be commissioned in the last month of the current Iranian year (February 19 – March 20, 2021), according to Mohsen Tarztalab, Managing Director of Iran’s Thermal Power Plants Holding Company, as reported by MENAFA agency, citing the Ministry of Energy of Iran.

The first stage of the plant development will feature a 5 MW turbine, while a total of 50 MW is targeted to be reached at later stages.

The director emphasized that the production capacity of this power plant in the first stage will be 5 megawatts.

The Meshgin Shahr geothermal power plant is being built at the foot of Mount Sabalan, about 85 km nortwhest of Ardabil. The current investment is reported at around $40.4 million, which seems a lot for a 5 MW plant.

We will continue to explore and report if we learn more.

Source: MENAFN

Geothermal energy is “green district heating”, it decarbonises the supply of heating and cooling, reduces energy imports and creates added value in Germany, so a statement by a new initiative founded in Germany. Geothermal energy supply operators, companies in the construction and supply industry, associations and research institutes want to use the initiative to draw attention to the potential of geothermal energy for the heat transition so that it can be used throughout Germany.

The heat transition is one of the top issues in Germany and Europe – ecologically, economically and socially. The use of geothermal energy has the potential to give the heat transition a sustainable boost and to decarbonise the district heating supply in urban regions. For now a long time, geothermal operators in Germany have shown how this potential of geothermal energy can be used economically.

Now, these players have joined together in the “Heat transition through geothermal energy” initiative to put this potential of geothermal energy on the economic and energy policy agenda of Germany. They are supported by companies in the construction and supply industry, associations and research institutes and are open to other participants.

Local geothermal players EWG (Gruenwald), IEP (Pullach) and SWM (Munich) launch geothermal heat transition initiative

This Germany-wide initiative was initiated by the geothermal companies of the three Munich district municipalities of Grünwald, Unterhaching and Pullach as well as the largest municipal energy provider in Germany, the Munich municipal utility company. Together they have been demonstrating for years that geothermal energy is able to take the heat transition forward in big steps. The way there is through the use of the renewable energy source geothermal energy for heat supply, the construction of new ones as well as the renovation and networking of existing district heating networks. This requires fair, sustainable framework conditions, especially at the level of funding geothermal projects and heating networks, support from science and research and a broad social discourse on the opportunities of this ecologically valuable mineral resource.

An initiative unique in the diversity of its participants

Today, the “Heat transition through geothermal energy” initiative already includes twelve municipal and private geothermal energy supply companies from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg with a total heat supply of over 760 GWh per year. Also part of the initiative are the Federal Geothermal Association, AGFW e.V., VKU, Landesgruppe Bayern, the Bavarian Construction Industry Association e.V., the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Energy IEG and medium-sized companies.

Strong overall package

Geothermal energy companies, associations and the IEG all come together to show that geothermal energy is the key to the heat transition. As “green district heating”, it decarbonises the heat supply in urban regions, creates added value in Germany, reduces energy imports and is therefore one of the most promising climate protectors in the heating market. Geothermal energy is independent of the time of year and day as well as weather conditions and is therefore capable of carrying a base load. It is the fastest possible solution to supply urban regions with heat in a CO2-neutral manner. Geothermal energy is ready for the market and it works across Germany with the right framework. Because geothermal energy is fundamentally available to all people in Germany, the members of the “Warmth through geothermal energy” initiative are now entering into a dialogue across Germany: with cities, counties and municipalities, with municipal utilities, those responsible in the state and federal ministries, economic research institutes, multipliers in the energy sector and with companies from industry and finance.

Source: Initiative’s website, via our German partner platform TiefeGeothermie

The 20 MW Bagnore 3 geothermal power plant by Enel Green Power in Tuscany, Italy has been restarted following some equipment updates. The plant had been temporarily shut down to work on improvements to avoid prolonged small disturbances with latest generation components added, so Green Report in Italy

“The whole machine has been replaced with new components of the latest generation which will guarantee efficiency and continuity of the service”, so Enel Green Power in a statement. The re-ignition of operations of the geothermal power plant July 17, 2020, completed on Saturday 18 July. Considering the extent of the intervention, which consisted in the total restyling of the equipment, it was necessary to do all the functional tests until the system became fully operational on Saturday 18 July.

“It is possible – the company specifies – that during the tests and the plant restarting some moments of olfactory disturbance occur, monitored and obviously well below the limits foreseen by the regulations. Enel green power, which has made an important investment in the sign of technological excellence and environmental sustainability, thanks for the collaboration the municipal administrations and the mayors of Santa Fiora and Arcidosso, with whom times and methods of intervention have been agreed “.

The plant uses a hydrogen sulfide abatement process called AMIS that is able to keep mercury and hydrogen sulphide emissions under control. The emissions are naturally present in the geothermal fluids used for energy production; hydrogen sulphide, in particular, with the characteristic smell of rotten eggs, is what otherwise characterizes the areas where geothermal emissions naturally escape from the subsoil.

From this point of view, the installation of the plant represents an important environmental protection for the geothermal territories.

“The AMIS system at the Bagnore 3 geothermal plant has been in operation since 2001 and were the first to be built on a geothermal plant, giving way to an installation path on all the plants which ended in June 2015: to date – Enel recalls – all 37 groups production of the 34 Tuscan plants are equipped with AMIS with a level of efficiency greater than 95%, thanks also to a process of maintenance and continuous innovation that has seen Enel green power make important and constant investments in the last twenty years.”

The Global Update for the geothermal power sector for WGC 2020 documented these investments, according to which in the last five years USD 263 million have been invested in Italy to improve geothermal power plants existing, in particular as regards the reduction of non-condensable gas emissions, a clear reference, this, to the AMIS.

In this regard, it is the Yearbook published last autumn by the Regional Environmental Protection Agency of Tuscany (Arpat) to confirm that 100% of the geothermal plants monitored by Arpat show values ??below the emission limit for both H2S (hydrogen sulphide or hydrogen sulphide) than for Hg (mercury) and for SO2 (sulfur dioxide or sulfur dioxide).

More specifically, AMIS is able to break down up to 99% of the hydrogen sulphide which is distributed in the gas leaving the condenser.

As regards mercury, however, the Agency adds that “the determinations of the levels of mercury exposure of the population of the area of ??Mount Amiata, due to the sum of the two contributions (natural component in the presence of a significant geological anomaly plus the emissive component of the plants) demonstrate values ??very far from the limit of health caution established by the international guidelines of 200 ng / m3 averaged on an annual basis. In the area of ??Mount Amiata there are often data comparable to the natural background levels, that is mostly between 2-4 20 ng / m3 with some peaks at 8-20 ng / m3 “, where 20 ng / m3 is the value normally measured in urban areas.

Source: GreenReport

The state utility of Mexico, Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) has canceled the tenders for the expansion of the Los Humeros geothermal plant, in Chignautla, Puebla, as well as two combined cycle power plants in San Luis Potosí and Salamanca, in addition to a combustion plant internal in Baja California Sur.

The La Silla Rota portal reported that the commission argued that the effects on productivity and the world economy, which has generated the Covid-19 pandemic, have also impacted the country, so it decided to suspend the process in order to comply with the government policy of non-indebtedness in order to optimize economic resources.

The Los Humeros tender was published only at the end of June 2020 and was part of the expansion plan of the state-owned company.

It contemplated the construction of the second phase of the plant, which is located in the Los Humeros geothermal field, in the municipality of Chignautla, which is the eastern region of the state of Puebla and the western region of the state of Veracruz, 32 kilometers northwest of the city ??of Perote.

“(It is) a geothermal electric power generation plant with a guaranteed net capacity of 25 MW (…) considering geothermal condensation steam as a driving fluid, made up of a geothermal condensation steam turbine, a cooling system using a wet type cooling tower, main and auxiliary transformers, and all equipment including the transmission system, “was described.

The work was planned with 100 percent private contributions through a three-year international public bidding contract that included the design, construction, equipment and installation, without specifying the estimated investment for execution.
They expected investment of more than USD 1.1 billion.

Together, the four projects canceled by the CFE involved an investment of about USD 1,127 million  (USD 1.127 billion), and the combined cycle power plants were going to involve new installed capacity to generate electricity, based on natural gas, for more than 1,600 MW.

The company led by Manuel Bartlett had announced the construction of new capacity from natural gas-based generation, as one of the ways for the commission to have more capacity.

The contracts were for the development companies to coordinate the construction of the project under the control of CFE.

Among the more than 70 companies interested in each of the procedures, companies such as Veolia, Techint, Siemens, Mitsubishi, General Electric, Acciona or Abengoa stand out.

The CFE disclaimed any liability or compensation associated with the costs of the participants who submitted offers.

Source: E-Consulta

As reported by our Turkish language service, JeotermalHaberler, a new Renewable Energy Research Association, called YENADER, has been established in order to operate in the fields of ensuring the efficient and widespread use of renewable energy resources and increasing their contribution to the national economy in Turkey.

According to the statement made by YENADER, management of the association will be as follows; Prof. Dr. Kerem Alkin as the president, Ali Karaduman as the vice president and Energy Systems Specialist Dr. Füsun Tut Haklidir as the general secretary.

President  Alkin stated that Turkey must continue working in the field of renewable energy sources in order to continue the success which is presented by great strides in recent years..

Alkin highlighted that besides renewable energy sources are clean and sustainable of, they also do assist the economic development of the country. Alkin continued as follows:

“With the support of YENADER, which includes scientists and industry representatives, we aim to create a cooperation environment to foresee the social, economic and ecological dimensions of the use of resources in our country at the national and international level by supporting the 6th and 13th items of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. On the other hand, we will establish a collaborative environment for the scientific necessity of renewable energy by establishing a dialogue with universities, research and development organizations, scientific institutions as well as the public.”

Source: Anadolu Ajansi via our Turkish language service JeotermalHaberler

In September 2020, the Board of Directors of VITO, the largest Belgian research institution active in the fields of energy, environment and materials, decides whether the geothermal project on site at Balmatt will be resumed, so local news.

The project came to a halt following a series of mini earthquakes caused by reinjection of pumped water. Now the company wants to expand the network of seismometers to be set up with drilling five wells to a depth of 275 meters to take place on different locations in Dessel this autumn.

With that VITO hopes to restart the project and be “ready when the light is turned green.”

Source: GVA

Pivot2020 a week-long virtual event of ten moderated roundtables (and in the end an additional panel) last week, featured thought leaders and change makers who are building the future of geothermal energy. Panelists included leaders from the oil and gas industry, geothermal industry, academia, governments, national labs, and start-up companies.

Hosted by the Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization (GEO) at the University of Texas at Austin, and the International Geothermal Association (IGA), along with industry and organizational partners and friends, the event brought together people from the oil sector and geothermal globally.

?The conversations of all the panels ranged from technical elements, career, new technologies, entrepreneurship, the role the oil and gas sector can play in geothermal development, and what geothermal energy can play in the future of renewable energy.

Everyone that joined the conversations about the Future of Geothermal Energy was rather excited about the quality and diversity of the discussions. So if you had not the chance to join, or want to refresh your memory on those discussions, click on the sessions you would like listen to (via Microsoft Teams link).

• Monday July 13, 2020 – Building a geothermal strategy: perspectives from the oil patch & Geothermal anywhere: EGS, DeepEGS, Supercritical and beyond
• Tuesday, July 14, 2020 – Funding your geothermal venture & Geothermal Anywhere: Closed loop systems
• Wednesday, July 15, 2020 – Geothermal project development: considerations from the trenches & The future of Drilling: non-conventional concepts
• Thursday, July 16, 2020 – Drilling the wells of the future: advanced tools, techniques & methodologies & Geothermal Prospecting: Thermal & hydrothermal exploration
• Friday, July 17, 2020 – The Green Drilling Pivot: career crossovers and opportunities & Our Geothermal future: leveraging the subsurface to solve energy
• … and the special session from Wednesday, July 15, 2020 – Navigating the Transition from hydrocarbons to heat: challenges & opportunities with panelists Michael Liebreich, James Dupree and Carl Pope

For further details, the different panelists and moderators and topics of the panels, click here.

Source: TexasGeo.org

At the IGC Online webinar Friday, July 24, 2020, Robert Winsloe, Executive Vice President at Eavor Technologies Inc., will provide an update on Eavor’s innovative closed-loop system and their first commercial scale implementation in Geretsried, Germany.

• Date: July 24, 2020 – Friday
• Time: 14:00-14:30 (2-2:30 pm) CEST
• Location: Online – registration here

An Eavor-Loop (TM) is essentially a large, buried radiator that extracts heat from the earth purely through conduction, with no fluid exchange between the process and the reservoir – a closed loop. Multiple horizontal laterals are drilled from the vertical inlet and outlet wells and intersected to form a large sub-surface heat exchanger. Flow is driven in the system purely by a thermosiphon effect eliminating the parasitic pump load.

In 2019, a pilot scale demonstration facility, Eavor-Lite (TM) in Canada successfully demonstrated Eavor’s ability to drill and intersect an Eavor-Loop (TM), seal the laterals using proprietary Rock-Pipe (TM) completion technology, validate the thermodynamic performance of the system and demonstrate thermosiphon operation.

An added unique benefit of an Eavor-Loop (TM) is that it can be dispatchable; a 10MW plant can deliver 240MWh over a 24 hour period in almost any shape.  Energy can be stored sub-surface and extracted strategically by adjusting the operating parameters to produce peak energy when required and promote system flexibility and grid stability.

The Geretsried project in Germany will be Eavor’s first commercial scale Eavor-Loops (TM) deployment.  The first phase will consist of four (4) Eavor-Loops (TM) and will deliver 8.6 MWe electrical capacity plus 65 MWth thermal capacity to a district heating network.  Two further phases including an additional 48 Eavor-Loops executed in a repeatable manufacturing process across the license area, will result in a cumulative 200 MWe of electrical capacity over the three phases. Through this manufacturing style approach rapid progression down the cost curve is anticipated.

Robert Winsloe

Robert has nearly 40 years international business development, sales, marketing and management experience in the energy industry.  Graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he lived and worked in Indonesia, Australia and India for Schlumberger. Returning to Europe he joined IBM, before going on to build and manage international sales and marketing organisations for Halliburton and IHS, as well as personally closing multi-million dollar energy related contracts across Europe, Asia and Africa and North and South America. He advised Chinese state companies on strategic gas development and has been a frequent consultant to the World Bank on projects ranging from energy planning in Angola to infrastructure development and capacity building in Mauritania.

Source: IGC Online Webinars

About 80% of the energy consumption in the municipality of Westland in the Netherlands comes from greenhouse horticulture companies. How the energy transition can be achieved is described as a “beautiful puzzle” in a recent article shared by Green Port West Holland.

Horticulture is a major user, especially when it comes to natural gas. This means that the sector is an essential partner for the energy transition within the municipality. “We opt for cooperation with entrepreneurs and a bottom-up approach,” says Jeroen Straver, Policy Officer Energy, about the approach of the municipality of Westland.

It should come as no surprise that greenhouse horticulture plays an important role in the climate ambitions of the municipality of Westland. The greenhouse horticulture sector therefore has a prominent place in the 2019 Westland Energy Agreement. In addition, sustainability in horticulture will also be discussed in the Heat Transition Vision, which the municipality – like other municipalities – must have ready by the end of next year.

“We have to take enormous steps,” says Jeroen Straver, Energy Policy Officer at the municipality of Westland. For example, Westland horticultural companies use about 1 billion cubic meters of gas every year. An amount that, according to the sector itself, must eventually reach 0. The greenhouse horticulture sector wants (under certain conditions) to grow climate neutral as early as 2040. “The task is mega.”

But that task is also feasible. For example, geothermal energy and (residual) heat from the port may already ensure that horticultural entrepreneurs achieve 60% -70% of the CO2 reduction targets in 2030. But those alternative sources are not just there. How do municipalities and horticulture work together to achieve these goals?

The role of the municipality

“We opt for a bottom-up approach,” Jeroen Straver summarizes the approach of the municipality of Westland. Entrepreneurs take the initiative and the municipality supports them in this. Take the example of the former Westland Agenda. The Municipality of Westland has supported horticultural entrepreneurs who wanted to realize a geothermal project with subsidies from the Westland Agenda. In addition, the municipality has involved the companies HVC and Capturam with Trias Westland and the municipality has guaranteed the financing of this project. This model / project has been so successful that it is now being applied to four new geothermal initiatives in Westland. A good example of how collaboration pays off. Westland now has six realized geothermal doublets. A number that must grow to approximately fifteen.

In addition to subsidies and (incidental) guarantees, the municipality facilitates spatial integration and permit applications. The municipality is also regularly active in the lobby, for example in supporting entrepreneurs with ODE and CO2 provision: the municipality works closely with other stakeholders, such as Greenhouse Horticulture in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the municipality is always looking for useful subsidies. The European subsidies with the proposed Green Deal program seem particularly interesting.

Local differences

In order to be able to perform tasks properly, the municipality has a lot of consultation with stakeholders. The municipality also wants to enter into discussions with greenhouse horticultural entrepreneurs about questions such as: what is your step-by-step plan for doing business CO2-neutral? Based on this, we can determine our commitment. The municipality wants to do this together with parties such as Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands and Greenport West Holland. It is also the municipality’s preference to involve knowledge parties and financial institutions.

The Westland municipality keeps an eye on the local differences. “For example, there are relatively many flower growers in the Westland and there is a lot of exposure.” But there are also relatively many cold crops and open ground cultivation in Westland. All this means that the municipality of Westland has different interests from the specific area characteristics than, for example, the municipality of Wieringermeer.

Potential

There is a big difference for the municipality between making the heat supply low in CO2 and the electricity supply. In heat, geothermal energy and residual heat significantly reduce the dependence on natural gas. A condition for this is that the Westland Heat System is to be realized next to new local heat sources and that a branch line from the port of Rotterdam to The Hague be constructed.

Then electricity: Straver expects the use of electricity to continue to increase. This is due to the development of lighting (LED) but also the increasing use of heat pumps in greenhouse horticulture. On the one hand, more sustainable electricity can be produced, for example through more solar panels on company roofs. Straver: “There is certainly still potential. The point is that the business case is still unfavorable and the capital to be generated is relatively low. ” At the same time, it is important that the greenhouse horticulture cluster save, for example with new cultivation techniques (such as Het Nieuwe Telen) and via the Greenhouse as Energy Source program.

Since reconstruction is also expected to take place relatively often in the Westland, this also offers opportunities for sustainability. “It is an excellent opportunity to apply energy-efficient techniques in new construction.” Straver also sees many opportunities for using data in cultivation. He sees that the use of data is taking off. It is important that the infrastructure is in order for both CO2-free heat and electricity.

Reinforce each

Straver: “The economy in our municipality is very dependent on horticulture. Energy is and remains important for greenhouse horticulture. From a social point of view, it is important that the cluster is made sustainable. At the same time, you see that the interests of greenhouse horticulture and residents can be opposite. For example, residents of the municipality do not want windmills while horticultural companies want to. ”

Straver, on the other hand, also sees that greenhouse horticulture and the built environment (homes and businesses) can reinforce each other. “The built environment can thus strengthen the business case of a heat network. And that’s the beauty of the Westland. ”

Source: Green Port West Holland

The Bureau of Land Management, Humboldt River Field Office (HRFO) is seeking public comments on issues to be analyzed in an environmental assessment for the proposed Baltazor Geothermal Development Project (BGDP) that would be located approximately 7 miles southwest of Denio near Baltazor Hot Springs off NV State Highway 140, in Humboldt County, Nevada. The 15-day scoping period ends July 21, 2020.

The EA will analyze the environmental effects of building two geothermal power plants to produce 30 megawatts of electricity, an electrical substation, up to 11 total geothermal production and injection wells, 1.8 miles of geothermal fluids pipelines, 1.7 miles of new access road, an aggregate pit, ancillary facilities, and upgrades to an existing 5-mile transmission line. The proposed upgrade to the overhead transmission line would enable the transport of the energy generated to an existing 120kV Harney Electric transmission line to the commercial market.

The project supports the Trump Administration’s goals of achieving energy security, strengthening local economies, and creating local jobs and Executive Order 13783: Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth and Secretary’s Order 3349: American Energy Independence. Project construction would likely require a maximum of 50 workers, with an average of 20 to 30 workers after grading and excavation. Once operating, the Project would have a staff of approximately 15-20 employees. The power plant would be staffed and approximately 1-2 employees may be on-site at a given time.

Scoping documents and details for the proposed Project can be viewed at the website below. Public comments on issues to be analyzed in the environmental assessment are welcome during the 15-day public scoping period. These comments may be submitted before the close of the scoping period on July 21, 2020 by any of the following methods:

• Project website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2000508/510
• Email: BLM_NV_WDO_baltazor@blm.gov
• Surface mail:  c/o Tai Subia (NVW010.28), BLM, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89445

Source: BLM Nevada

Reported locally, Geoenergie Bayern/ Projekt Törring GmbH & Co.KG has received the necessary drilling permit for its geotheraml project in Taching, Bavaria.

At the beginning of October 2019, the company submitted an application for approval of the main mining law operating plan for the construction of a drilling site and four holes (two doubles). “After nine months of intensive examination, the application was approved by the government of Upper Bavaria, Mining Authority South Bavaria, after examining all the major public issues,” says a pleased geographer. Bernhard Gubo, project manager and managing director of Geoenergie Bayern Geoenergie / Projekt Törring GmbH & Co. KG.

Geoenergie Bayern Projekt Törring GmbH & Co. KG is a company founded specifically for this project. The general partner of the company is Geoenergie Bayern Beteiligungen GmbH, based in Munich, whose management was already involved in the geothermal projects Kirchweidach and Garching an der Alz.

When asked, project manager from Geoenergie Bayern, Bernhard Gubo, said that many public sector bodies or competent authorities were involved in the review. He therefore refers to the main content of the decision: “The approval of the requested work by the mining authority in southern Bavaria is the result of a long and intensive planning phase prior to the mining law application. When planning the drilling site and the four deep drilling, only recognized specialist companies with relevant experience were used. For Geoenergie Bayern Projekt Törring GmbH & Co.KG, only companies were commissioned that already have successful references in the region. ”

The drilling work has now been approved in principle in the mining law main operating plan. Before the drilling can begin, however, the applicant must submit a large number of documents and expert reports in further special operating plans.

Gubo expects drilling to start in early 2021. The approval confirms that the project is legally compliant for public law reasons at this location. This confirms the very good choice of the location for a hydrothermal geothermal project, which, to put it simply, is about tapping into the abundant flowing thermal water available at a depth of around three kilometers. The water, which is heated to between 120 and 130 degrees Celsius by geothermal energy, is to be pumped to the surface so that it can be used to generate electricity and heat.

Source: Chiemgau24