GRC Member Helps Author Independent Scientific Study on California Fracking
Report explains differences in stimulation techniques
The study, the first independent assessment required under the state's new fracking regulations, found 20-percent of oil production in California is fracked, and the vast majority occurs in Kern County.
However, the report includes language that seeks to explain how the methods used in geothermal reservoir stimulation is different to the fracking methods used in the oil and gas industry.
From page 79 of the report: "Geothermal energy involves the extraction of heat instead of fluids from the subsurface. However, it still requires fluid flow as an efficient means to transport heat. Hydraulic fracturing is used to enable fluid flow in some geothermal reservoirs that have low permeability. Geothermal fracturing has the goal of stimulating the entire reservoir volume through the opening of existing natural fractures by shear. Geothermal systems are typically fractured using water without additives or proppant."
