USA, California: Nominate a Woman in Geothermal Energy for an Award

California Women in Energy Honors 2016’s Outstanding Women in Energy

Contributions of women in the energy arena are growing every year. To recognize the achievements of women in this field, California Women in Energy will be honoring three women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the energy arena in 2016.

To select these three leaders, we are launching a nomination process. Candidates may be nominated for one of the following categories:

• Woman of Influence: Honors a top female leader in energy in 2016.
• Innovator: Recognizes a woman who has made an impact with new ideas or technology in 2016.
• Women to Watch: Introduces a woman on the rise in the energy sector in 2016.

The awards will go to women whose work, knowledge or expertise has helped guide the sector. Nominees will be accepted from a broad range of fields, including (but not limited to) advocacy, government, renewable energy, law, finance, manufacturing, education, training, public policy, environment, exploration, production, and engineering.

GRC Annual Meeting - Presentations from Best Practices in Operation and Maintenance Workshop

Presentations from Best Practices in Operation and Maintenance Workshop

Just before the start of the 40th GRC Annual Meeting in Sacramento, California last month, a special workshop on O&M Best Practices was held, facilitated by Dan Hoyer, Veizades and Associates and Kevin Kitz, U.S. Geothermal.

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) is critical to the sustainable success of geothermal power plants, facilities and wells. Sharing lessons learned within the industry can help improve the bottom line of every operating plant, and potentially make new plants more competitive with natural gas, wind and solar alternatives.

Attendees shared approaches and solutions that have made a difference in their work as a O&M supervisors, leads, staff or engineers. Participants then were able to discuss their own approach and experiences in finding solutions to the issues.

• Geothermal Plant Life Extension - Rehabilitation and Sustainability of the Mak-Ban & Tiwi Geothermal Plants  - Kevin R. Beavers, Senior VP-Operations Domingo Beraquit, Geothermal Resource Manager Aboitiz Power Renewables, Inc.
• The Geysers - Steam Purity & Steam Scrubbing Process Evolution & Innovations - John Farison Director, Process Engineering
• Enable Employees to Soar - be a Leader!
• Reservoir Monitoring & Management - Jill Haizlip, Geologica Geothermal Group
• Monitoring, Reporting, and Forecasting Fuel Supply and Plant Performance - Hudson Ranch Energy Sevices 
• Holding Manufacturers Accountable with Plant Data - Mark Dragoo, O&M Site Manager, U.S. Geothermal San Emidio Project
• Operation & Maintenance Cost Drivers - Dr. Dan Hoyer
• Safety Management in the Power Plant - Monte C. Morrisson

Philippines: Award makes it Easier for EDC to Acquire Permits for Expansion of Geothermal Power Plants

Leyte geothermal plant gets ‘seal of approval’ (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The country’s biggest producer of geothermal energy has been given a seal of approval by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that would make it easy for the renewable energy company to acquire permits for expansion and other projects.

The Energy Development Corp. (EDC) is this year’s lone recipient of the Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) Seal of Approval given annually by the DENR.

While it doesn’t carry a monetary component, the award means relaxed rules, longer permit validity and simplified procedures in acquiring an environmental compliance certificate (ECC), a key requirement for companies to proceed with projects.

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Canada: 180,000 Oil & Gas Wells in Alberta are Abandoned

The Geothermal Industry Wants Your Abandoned Wells (Alberta Oil Magazine)

Alberta’s half-a-million oil and gas wells are a proud testament to our province’s innovation in extracting our rich natural resources. But more than 77,000 wells are now listed as inactive, and over 180,000 are abandoned. Converting them to geothermal systems would put drilling and service firms back to work, provide heat and power to farmers who currently see these wells as a nuisance, and slash the abandonment costs that force some juniors into bankruptcy.

Geothermal heat resources are extracted in varying amounts from just about every productive well in Alberta. It’s in the form of produced water, delivering gigajoules of energy to the surface, but it’s considered a waste by the oil and gas industry, and is usually trucked away or piped into disposal wells. Oil companies actually pay to throw these gigajoules away.

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USA, Idaho: U.S. Geothermal Announces Reverse Stock Split

U.S. Geothermal Inc. Announces 1-for-6 Share Consolidation (News Release)

U.S. Geothermal Inc. announced today that its Board of Directors has approved a 1-for-6 share consolidation, otherwise referred to as a reverse stock split, of its issued and outstanding shares of common stock.

The 1-for-6 share consolidation will be effective upon the filing and effectiveness of a Certificate of Amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation after market close on November 9, 2016. Shares of the Company’s common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis when the market opens on November 10, 2016.

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Finance: Another Big Merger in Geothermal Services Industry

GE And Baker Hughes To Create No. 2 Oilfield Services Provider (Utility Dive)

General Electric Co. said on Monday it would merge its oil and gas business with Baker Hughes Inc., creating the world's No. 2 oilfield services provider, amid signs that firmer oil prices are encouraging a recovery in the industry.

The deal will vault the combined company ahead of Halliburton Co in terms of revenue. Baker Hughes had planned to merge with Halliburton in a deal valued at $34.6 billion when it was announced in November 2014, but that deal fell through in May due to regulatory concerns.

The tie-up will also put GE and Baker Hughes in a stronger position to challenge market leader Schlumberger, which had revenue of about $35 billion in 2015.

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Iceland: Geothermal Well at Iceland Deep Drilling Project Reaches 3,600 Meters

RN-15/IDDP-2 is now the deepest hole in Iceland (News Release)

The RN-15/IDDP-2 has reached 3,640 m depth and is now the deepest hole in Iceland. The well is cased with a 9 5/8 inch steel casing to 2,940 m, and after cementing the casing the well was deepened with 8 ½ inch rotary drill bit.

While drilling below the casing, quite severe losses of circulation fluid were experienced (meaning no fluid or drill cuttings are returned to the surface), which was partly mitigated with cementing operations. Two spot coring runs were also attempted. While drilling further with loss of circulation fluid good progress has been made and drilling has been performed safely and securely.

As the well reached a true vertical depth of 3,500 m it formally became the IDDP-2 well. Continuing the operation, the well will be thoroughly logged and measured and some core drilling will take place. The objective is to drill down to 5,000 m, searching for a supercritical steam zone.

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Uganda: Website on Geothermal Energy Resources Launched

Uganda Geothermal Resources Information Portal launched (Carbon Counts)

Carbon Counts today launched a web-based information portal proving information about geothermal policy and law development in Uganda.

The portal can be accessed at www.carbon-counts.com/uganda-geothermal

Canada: Drilling at Estevan Geothermal Power Project to Begin Early Next Year

Saskatchewan: The Unsung Hero of Green Energy? (Alberta Oil)

The oil industry is driving Canada’s first commercial geothermal power project as Saskatchewan pushes on with its 50-percent-renewables goal for 2030

Kirsten Marcia, DEEP CEO

In February, Saskatoon-based Deep Earth Energy Production (DEEP) will start drilling as part of an $8 million feasibility/FEED study into what would be Canada’s first commercial geothermal power project. Regina-based MPM Construction Services is investing the money in the project in exchange for equity in DEEP. The work plan and final reporting will be completed by GeothermEx, a Schlumberger company.

Kirsten Marcia, DEEP CEO says DEEP aims to produce the first baseload power in 2.5 years due to the long lead time on turbines. The project currently anticipates 5 MW net power capacity from a 10 MW plant—half the power will be consumed driving the system—which could double if the study shows that’s the best option.

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USA, California: EnergySource Testing New Process to Extract Lithium from Geothermal Waters

A Salton Sea geothermal company thinks it's solved the lithium puzzle. Will this time be different? (The Desert Sun)

(Courtesy EnergySource)

EnergySource, which runs the 50-megawatt John L. Featherstone geothermal plant, has been testing a new process to extract lithium and other metals from the underground brine it uses to generate electricity, according to Eric Spomer, the company's president and chief executive. The results have been promising enough that a Texas investment group just bought a 38.5-percent ownership interest in EnergySource. The firm has invested additional money to fund more thorough testing of the extraction process, which Spomer expects to take about six months.

If EnergySource has figured out how to make money extracting lithium, the consequences could be enormous — not only for the electric carmakers, who are hungry for the metal, but for the region's geothermal industry, which has stalled in recent years. Building a geothermal plant is expensive, and lithium would be a lucrative new revenue stream that would geothermal more attractive to investors.

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India: Plans for 5 MW Geothermal Power Plant in Balrampur District

Tatapani has great potential for Geothermal power generation: CREDA (The Hitavada)

Tatapani Geothermal field in Balrampur District has the potential to produce 17 Megawatts electricity in the State. In a series of surveys conducted by Geological Survey of India across the potential Geothermal power generation locations,

Tatapani has been termed as logistically best location among other identified areas in the country, informed Purandar Mishra, Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Authority (CREDA) here on Thursday. He was interacting with the media persons on huge potential, approval and financial support from the Central Government.

Talking to the media persons, CREDA Chairman informed that Tatapani has been identified for Geothermal power generation and a letter has been sent to the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, New and Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal to approve and sanction funds for initial 5 Megawatt pilot project which will cost Rs 175 crore. Necessary presentation is being made to the minister and the project is waiting approval from the concerned ministry.

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USA: California, Nevada, Utah: BLM Sells 18 Geothermal Energy Leases

BLM leases 41,000 acres for geothermal (Elko Daily Free Press)

The Bureau of Land Management sold more than half of its Nevada geothermal leases offered this week to help develop the nation’s renewable energy sources.

Fourteen Nevada parcels were sold for a total of 32,075 acres, at a cost of $130,553.

Four of the six Utah parcels sold, totaling $38,040, while neither of the two parcels offered in California received any bids.

Ormat Nevada Inc., Blue Mountain Research & Development LLC, and Intermountain Renewable Power LLC paid up to $2.50 per acre for the leases, which are for a 10-year period.

Fifty percent of revenue from the sales goes to states, 25 percent to counties, and 25 percent is kept by the federal government.

Caribbean: Joint Development of Geothermal Energy Suggested

St Maarten PM wants joint geothermal project (Antigua Observer)

The Prime Minister of St Maarten has called for “joint development” of geothermal energy in the Caribbean, as many states look for ways to reducing their dependence on fossil fuel.

William V Marlin said while several of the islands in the Caribbean have geothermal energy potential, it wouldn’t make sense of all of them to get into production.

“If we would tap into one or two of those countries and jointly develop the geothermal energy in the Caribbean, we can say good-bye to fossil fuels,” Marlin told reporters here on Tuesday.

Geothermal energy potential has already been confirmed in several islands, including Nevis and Dominica. Antigua & Barbuda has also announced its intention to study whether the resource is available here and in sufficient quantities.

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Europe: Geothermal News from EGEC

The EGEC Newsletter October 2016 - The Voice of Geothermal in Europe

The October issue of the EGEC Newsletter is now available.
Click here to download it. In this issue:

Editorial

• A word from the new EGEC President

Policy

• EGEC Reaction to the Non-Publication of the Energy Union Efficiency Package
• How to develop support schemes for Renewable Heating and Cooling

News

• Declaration of Intent on Deep Geothermal Energy endorsed by SET plan steering group
• Global Geothermal Reporting Standard launched
• Thermal Atlases for 14 European Countries
• Vacancy: Executive Director of the International Geothermal Association
• Local energy utility in Munich, Germany buys two geothermal plants
• New Geothermal District Heating project in Groningen, Netherlands
• “Assuring provision of renewable and affordable energy for the citizens” – Interview with Mayor of Litoměřice, Czech Republic
• Heat Pumps in Smart Grids In Heat Pump Magazine
• Manuel Valls visits Fonroche, highlights importance of French know-how
• IRENA explores renewable energy potential in cities

Projects

• FROnT: How to develop support schemes for Renewable Heating and Cooling
• ETIP – Deep Geothermal Working Groups

Philippines, Indonesia: Consortium in Talks to Bid for Chevron's Geothermal Assets

AboitizPower to form consortium to bid for Chevron assets (BusinessWorld)

AboitizPower is in talks with foreign partners to form a consortium that will bid for Chevron Corp.’s geothermal energy assets in the Philippines and Indonesia, the finance chief of the company’s parent firm said.

“We’re already in talks. To be honest it [forming the consortium] is close. So when the bid comes out, by then the consortium will be formed,” Manuel R. Lozano, chief financial officer of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. (AEV) told reporters on the sidelines of the group’s press conference to present it third-quarter results on Wednesday night.

“As far as I know the sellers want to do it within the year. We are beholden to their timeline. We’re pretty close to making a decision.” 

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Indonesia: Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic By-Products from Geothermal Waters

Geothermal wells emit pharmaceutical, cosmetic by-products: Researcher (Jakarta Post)

Joshita Djadjadisastra elaborates on the geothermal energy by-products of minerals for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries during an international workshop entitled ‘Geothermal Technology and Business 2016' at the University of Indonesia in Depok on Wednesday. (Courtesy of University of Depok/File)

Indonesia’s geothermal wells contain abundant amounts of minerals used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry that can be harvested at business scale, a researcher from the University of Indonesia has said.

Joshita Djadjadisastra, a pharmaceutical expert, said the hot water from 2,000-meter deep geothermal wells was proven to cure scabies and contain useful minerals, such as silica, kaolin, bentonite, paraffin wax and micro algae.

“This is a chance for Indonesia, which has many geothermal fields. We can harvest those minerals from the geothermal wells,” she said at an international workshop entitled ‘Geothermal Technology and Business’, at the University of Indonesia in Depok on Wednesday.

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Philippines: 12 MW Second Unit of Maibarara Geothermal Power Plant to Launch by End of 2017

12 MW Maibarara2 geothermal to ‘start running in Q4 2017’ (The Manila Times)

Maibarara geothermal plant (Courtesy PetroEnergy)

Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI) broke ground on Thursday for its 12-megawatt Maibarara-2 Geothermal Power Facility (MGPF), and expects to start operating the plant in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Maibarara-2 (M2) is currently the only new geothermal power station being constructed in the country.

Maibarara Geothermal is a joint venture company owned by PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC), which holds a 65 percent stake, Phinma Energy Corp. (Phinma Energy) with 25 percent, and PNOC-Renewable Corporation, with 10 percent. PGEC is a subsidiary of listed PetroEnergy Resources Corporation (PERC).

Maibarara 1 (M1) is a 20-megawatt (MW) integrated steam field and power plant, which has been operating since 2014 and the first renewable energy (RE) project declared commercial by the DOE completely within the Renewable Energy law of 2008.

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Iceland:Using Silica from Geothermal Brine to Produce Health Products

Fida Abu Lidbeh, co-founder of GeoSilica (Iceland) (Social X)

Can you briefly describe the primary purpose of your company and what social or environmental problems you seek to address?

The main aim was to increase the utilization of geothermal water, doing that in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Also to create new jobs in our area here in Keflavik, where our town had the highest unemployment rate in all Iceland since 2008.

We are producing health products from a geothermal power plant byproducts. Geothermal energy is a renewable energy that is used in the production of electricity here in Iceland. However, silica scaling is a real problem at the power plants. It is where the silica causes scaling problems and shorten the lifetime of a borehole and makes the re-injection almost impossible. With our technology we can extract the silica from the geothermal water and minimize the silica scaling. We use the extracted silica in producing high quality health products. We launched our first silica supplement product to the Icelandic market January of last year. 

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Philippines: Malitbog Geothermal Power Plant Back Online

EDC restarts Leyte geothermal plant (BusinessWorld)

Energy Development Corp. (EDC) told the stock exchange on Friday that it has completed repair and commissioning work at the 77-megawatt unit of the Malitbog power plant.

The unit tripped on Aug. 17 due to a flashover -- or the sudden and rapid spread of fire through the air, caused by the ignition of smoke or fumes from surrounding objects -- that occurred inside a high voltage terminal box.

The Malitbog power plant is part of EDC’s unified Leyte geothermal power plants, which include projects in Tongonan, Mahanagdong, Upper Mahiao, among other projects in the province.

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Italy: Guidelines for Geothermal Energy Development Published

Il Mise pubblica le Linee guida per la geotermia - Public Guidelines for geothermal energy issued (Rinnovabili)

Dalla tutela del suolo al monitoraggio e controllo del campo geotermico e della micro sismicità: il documento ministeriale disciplina l’utilizzo della risorsa geotermica a media e alta entalpia.

Guidelines include the protection of soil monitoring, control of the geothermal field and micro seismicity: the ministerial document governs the use of medium and high enthalpy geothermal resources.

Guidelines Document (PDF).......

Leggi di più........     Read More.......

Commonwealth of Dominica: Legislation Helps Geothermal Energy Exploration and Development

Geothermal Resources Development bill approved (Dominica Vibes News)

A geothermal resources development bill, a critical piece of legislation to facilitate investment in geothermal energy, has been approved by Parliament.

The Geothermal Resources Development Bill, tabled on Monday 24 October 2016 by Minister for Trade, Energy and Employment, Ian Douglas, consumed just over ninety minutes of debate.

“The Geothermal Resources Development Act provides for the legal framework for the management of the geothermal resources, reconnaissance, exploration, use and in Dominica’s case export of the resource,” Minister Douglas informed.

“The act, Madame Speaker, must therefore provide for the issuance, suspension, and revocation of licenses, regulate the use of the resource in a manner that is sustainable, and minimize the impact on the physical and social environment,” he added.

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Indonesia: PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy is Front-runner for Chevron's Geothermal Resources

Pertamina Geothermal likely to take over Chevron`s assets (ANTARA)

A subsidiary of the National Oil and Gas Company, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), is likely to win a bid in an auction for two geothermal power plants of Chevron Geothermal Indonesia Ltd.

The PGE is expected to beat five other companies competing for the two plants with a capacity of 632 megawatts.

"In addition to having financial support from the parent company, the PGE has a good track record and a proven ability for developing geothermal power plant in the country," Renewable Energy Community (METI) Chairman Surya Dharma said here on Wednesday.

He added that of the six companies participating in the auction, the PGE was the most ideally suited company to manage Chevrons geothermal assets.

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Daily Schedule for GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

USA, California: BLM to Hold Geothermal Lease Sale at GRC Annual Meeting

Geothermal Competitive Lease Sale (BLM)

October 26, 2016, 1pm, Sheraton Grand Hotel, Sacramento, California

The Nevada State Office of the BLM is holding a competitive sale of Federal lands in the State of Nevada for geothermal leasing tomorrow, Wednesday October 26, 2016 in Sacramento, California as part of a multi-state geothermal lease sale.

The Nevada portion of the sale will include a total of 23 parcels for auction, located in the Battle Mountain, Carson City, Elko and Winnemucca Districts containing 47,016.15 acres.

Sale Notice (PDF).........

Canada: Regional-Scale Geothermal Prospecting Tool Used to Survey NW BC

New Geothermal Exploration Prospecting Tool for BC: Curie Point Depth Mapping Pilot Study (Geoscience BC)

Geoscience BC is pleased to announce the release of a pilot study which demonstrates the use of publicly-available regional airborne magnetic data as a geothermal exploration prospecting tool for British Columbia.

The report is now available through Geoscience BC's website or our Earth Science Viewer.

Geoscience BC Report 2016-14 presents a Curie point depth mapping pilot study over a small area of northwestern British Columbia. Curie point depth mapping uses regional-scale magnetic survey data to map the depth in the Earth's crust where magnetization disappears. When used in combination with other data (e.g. heat flow) it can be used as a regional-scale geothermal prospecting tool.

In the report results are compared with the BC heat flow map, known volcanism, hot springs and regional geology. Based on the results, the authors recommend using the Curie point depth mapping technique across BC to help guide geothermal exploration programs.

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Photos from the Geothermal Energy Event of the Year!

GRC Annual Meeting - Opening Session

 

Photos from the Geothermal Energy Event of the Year!

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+ - Opening Reception

Finance: Coal Overtaken by Renewable Energy as King of Power

Renewables overtake coal as world’s largest source of power capacity (Financial Times)

About 500,000 solar panels were installed every day last year as a record-shattering surge in green electricity saw renewables overtake coal as the world’s largest source of installed power capacity.

Two wind turbines went up every hour in countries such as China, according to International Energy Agency officials who have sharply upgraded their forecasts of how fast renewable energy sources will keep growing an IEA report published on Tuesday showed.

“We are witnessing a transformation of global power markets led by renewables,” said Fatih Birol, executive director of the global energy advisory agency.

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Australia: 3D Map of Geothermal Energy Resources Wins Hackathon

Making 3D maps: 2016 GovHack winners announced (Geoscience Australia)

This year's GovHack winners have been announced at the 2016 GovHack Red Carpet Awards held in Adelaide on Saturday 22 October. Geoscience Australia is proud to support open data through our ongoing support of the GovHack competition.

GovHack is a three day 'hackathon' that sees teams from across Australia and New Zealand compete to develop new applications using open government data. The volunteer-run event is sponsored by large technology companies, several government departments and a range of high-visibility start-ups and innovators.

The winner of the Geoscience Australia's Exploring Underground bounty prize was a 3D printed geophysical data model, created by Victoria's Petrified Data team. Using a series of 2D geoscience datasets from Geoscience Australia, the team created a series of hand-painted 3D printed models including a cool-looking 3D map of geothermal temperatures across the Australian continent.

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Commonwealth of Dominica: Government Says It Will Build Geothermal Power Plant

Gov’t to go alone with geothermal plant (Dominica News Online)

Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has revealed that government will go ahead alone in constructing a small geothermal plant in Dominica.

Speaking during the debate on the Geothermal Resources Development Bill in parliament on Monday, he said the government will take all risks associated with the construction of the facility.

“The government will go it alone with regards to this small plant,” he said.

Skerrit said over the past years the government has been in negotiations with different people on the project but things did not work out due to “other considerations.”

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Turkey: More Financing for Renewable Energy Including Geothermal Projects

New EBRD financing for Turkish renewable energy via Isbank (The Financial)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing US$ 55 million in new funds to Turkish lender Isbank to finance private companies investing in renewable energy and resource efficiency projects in Turkey.

The EBRD funds are extended through an investment in “A-” rated senior notes issued under Isbank’s Diversified Payment Rights (DPR) securitization program, an established market instrument used by Turkish banks to raise long-term funding.

The financing – supported by a €1.9 million grant from the European Union – will benefit renewable energy and resource efficiency projects in Turkey including solar, hydropower, wind, geothermal, waste-to-energy and energy efficiency as well as water saving and waste minimization projects.

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Daily Schedule for GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

USA, California: GreenFire Energy to Take Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Geothermal Energy Technology to Asia

GreenFire Energy Inc. and Joy International LLC Partner to Bring ECO2G Next Generation Geothermal Renewable Energy Technology to Japan and Southeast Asia (News Release)

Partnership To Develop Strategic Relationships and Meet the Demand for Environmentally Friendly Geothermal Power

GreenFire Energy Inc., and Joy International LLC, today announced a representation agreement to develop strategic relationships with Japanese companies for ECO2G™ geothermal power generation projects in Japan and Southeast Asia. GreenFire Energy’s proprietary ECO2G technology brings a dramatically improved approach to geothermal power generation to meet the demand for environmentally friendly power. ECO2G was developed in conjunction with several U.S. national laboratories.

Japan has the world’s third largest geothermal reserves behind the U.S. and Indonesia1. Geothermal power generation had traditionally been hindered by the risk of environmental impact from legacy geothermal technology. But the crucial need for renewable energy has driven Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to expect 380 to 850 MW of new installed geothermal capacity by 20302. ECO2G’s closed loop, modular design is particularly suited to meet Japan’s need for renewable energy as it is the most environmentally form of grid-scale, geothermal power.

Indonesia: PT PLN (Persero) Eyeing Two Chevron Geothermal Assets

PLN upbeat about winning Chevron geothermal bids (Jakarta Post)

State-owned electricity company PLN is eyeing two geothermal assets that US-based Chevron is currently offering for auction.

To date, six companies, including PLN, are in the running to take over Chevron’s Mount Salak and Darajat geothermal fields in West Java, which are estimated to be worth a combined US$3 billion. The auction winner is scheduled to be announced in January.

PLN corporate communications head I Made Suprateka said on Friday that the company was confident it would secure the deal as it already had a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Chevron to buy electricity from the Mt. Salak and Darajat geothermal power plants, each of which has a capacity to generate 377 megawatts (MW) and 255 MW of electricity, respectively.

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Turkey: Exergy Supplies 24 MW Geothermal ORC Power Plant

Exergy signs new contract with repeat customer Bestepeler Enerji for a 24 MWe geothermal power plant (PennEnergy)

The Italian company Exergy, market leader in the design and manufacturing of Organic Rankine Cycle systems, last Thursday signed a new contract with repeat customer Bestepeler Enerji Üretim Ticaret A.s for the supply of a 24 MWe geothermal ORC power plant for a geothermal field located in Aydin region - Germencik area.

Exergy will provide the client with a two pressure level ORC system equipped with 2x Radial Outflow Turbines, one for each pressure level, to produce totally 24 MWe of electricity from a medium enthalpy geothermal fluid. The ORC cycle will employ an air cooled condensing system, thus avoiding the use of water.

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USA, California: SMUD Wants to Join Western EIM

Sacramento muni begins talks to join CAISO Energy Imbalance Market (Utility Dive)

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) will start negotiations to join the Western real-time energy imbalance market, the first municipal utility to do so, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. 

The Balancing Authority of Northern California (BANC)—which is operated by SMUD and made up of seven members—will also start negotiations with the California ISO after finalizing a study of benefits to evaluate the potential savings for customers if they joined the EIM. 

It will cost SMUD about $6.5 million to obtain the necessary equipment, systems and workforce to join the EIM and cost $2.5 million annually for operations. But SMUD customers will save $5 million annually, the report said.

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Daily Schedule for GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

Daily Schedule for GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

USA, Utah: Tremendous Potential for Geothermal Energy in the Beehive State

Steamy and hot Utah: Geothermal power leases return after 6-year hiatus (Deseret News)

Utah is among three states in the West with federal lands boasting vast geothermal resources that are part of an upcoming auction to turn on emission free, baseload power.

The Bureau of Land Management said it will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale later this month in Sacramento (next Wednesday, after the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+), offering parcels in California, Nevada and Utah. For Utah, it will be the first time federal geothermal resources have been up for bid in six years.

A total of 15,782 acres of public lands in the Beaver and Milford area will be offered as part of the U.S. Department of Interior's goal of developing 10,000 megawatts of non-hydro renewable energy.

Utah already produces 59 megawatts of energy from geothermal resources, but at least a dozen projects are in some stage of development that could produce more emissions-free power generation. One of the state's two power generating stations that use geothermal — Cove Fort — is part of an exploratory expansion project that could amp production, according to an announcement made in 2015.

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Photos from GRC Workshops at the Geothermal Energy Event of the Year

GRC Workshops at the GRC Annual Meeting

Djibouti: Developing Geothermal Energy Key to Boosting Economy

Geothermal Energy At The Center Of Djibouti’s Renewable Transformation (Oilprice.com)

(courtesy CIA.gov)

Authorities in Djibouti are working to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix, with a particular focus on harnessing the country’s plentiful geothermal resources.

In early August Djibouti’s Office of Development of Geothermal Energy inked a memorandum of understanding with Japanese conglomerate Toshiba to develop some 50 MW of geothermal energy projects across the country.

Under the terms of the agreement, Toshiba will provide guidance for power plant operations and management, coordinate the development and supply of geothermal generation systems, and train local personnel.

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Iceland: 'Thor's Hammer' Helps Geothermal Deep Drilling Project

Iceland is using 'Thor's hammer'  to harness the power of MAGMA: Drilling rig begins work on 3 mile hole to harvest geothermal energy (Daily Mail)

Iceland is using 'Thor' (pictured) to harvest geothermal energy. The Iceland Deep Drilling Project's rig is drilling three miles into old lava flows in Reykjanes with the hopes of producing the hottest hole in the world with temperatures anywhere between 752 and 1832 °F

Iceland relies on geothermal for 65 percent of its energy and one group is using 'Thor' to harvest more of this power source.

The Iceland Deep Drilling Project's rig is drilling three miles into old lava flows of  Reykjanes, with the hopes of producing the hottest hole in the world - temperatures between 752°F and 1832 °F.

If successful, experts believe this achievement 'could lead to a revolution in the energy efficiency of high-temperature geothermal areas worldwide.'

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The Geothermal Energy Event of the Year is Almost Ready!

GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

We're getting ready to welcome the global geothermal community!

3rd Floor lobby of the Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento, California, USA

Australia: Geodynamics to Lose Geo Tag

Geodynamics changes focus to solar, storage and hybrid energy (RenewEconomy)

ASX-listed Australian geothermal hopeful Geodynamics has announced plans to change its name and principal focus and turn its attention to solar PV, battery storage and hybrid energy systems.

The company became famous for its efforts to generate energy from South Australian geothermal “deeps” – and even though the efforts were successful, they could not be done at a cost that could compete on the market.

It will now be known as ReNu Energy, and its new focus comes less than two months after the company closed and remediated the sites of several geothermal test wells and generation plants in South Australia’s Cooper Basin, after deciding they were not financially viable.

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Netherlands: Geothermal District Heating Project by Early 2018

Groningen geothermal project aimed at carbon neutral goal (Decentralized Energy)

Groningen is the site of an ambitious geothermal district heating project, part of an overarching initiative to make the Dutch city energy neutral by 2035.

IF Technology and Denmark-based Ross Offshore DK are partnering on servicing the project.

Both firms aim to combine their expertise for the work on this project together with the experts of WarmteStad (Thermal City). Specifically, the partners aim to work on drilling, well management and engineering. The expectation is that the geothermal project is realized between late 2017 and early 2018.

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United Kingdom, Iceland: Cable to Deliver Geothermal Energy to UK Could be Delayed by European Exit

Iceland-UK power interconnector delayed by Brexit (Power Engineering International)

A power interconnector, which would, at 1,000 KM be the world’s longest, is facing delays as a result of the decision by Britain to withdraw from the European Union.

The head of Icelandic utility Landsvirkjun has told Reuters in an interview that Brexit is impacting on the status of the 1 GW link which will bring geothermal power from Iceland to UK.

The two governments agreed last year to jointly study building the (EUR3.5bn), 1,000-kilometre-long IceLink cable that would power some 1.6 million UK homes.

"In the long-term there is no change in their interest (in importing power from Iceland), but it (Brexit) will definitely delay it, because they have to focus on other things now," Landsvirkjun boss Hordur Arnarson told Reuters.

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Iceland: Geothermal Deep Drilling Project Drilling 5 Kilometers into the Crust

Iceland drills hottest hole to tap into energy of molten magma (Greentech Media)

(Courtesy Statoil)

Drilling into hot rocks to tap geothermal energy is one thing. Drilling deep enough to tap the energy from magma oozing into volcanoes is quite another, offering a massive increase in the potential to exploit Earth’s inner heat.

That is the task of a rig now drilling 5 kilometres into the rugged landscape of old lava flows in Reykjanes, at the south-west corner of Iceland. Drilling began on 12 August.

By the end of the year, the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) hopes to have created the hottest hole in the world, hitting temperatures anywhere between 400 and 1000 °C.

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Workshop at Geothermal Resources Council AM Today

Reservoir Stimulation:
Recent Field Practices, Monitoring Techniques and Theoretical/Laboratory Investigations

Friday & Saturday, October 21 & 22
Hyatt Regency Hotel - Carmel              8am - 5pm

• Ahmad Ghassemi, University of Oklahoma
• Sabodh Garg, Program Manager - Resource Technology at Leidos

The purpose of the Reservoir Stimulation workshop is to provide a platform for in-depth review and discussion of recent EGS field experiences and to provide the attendees a good knowledge regarding recent advances in monitoring technologies and advances in theoretical, laboratory and numerical modeling pertaining to reservoir stimulation. While the workshop will emphasize education, it will incorporate the latest research findings and practical experiences in geothermal and shale reservoirs. The workshop instructors are experts from geothermal and petroleum industry, academic institutions, and National Labs.

Speakers include: Bruce Julian, Carl Montgomery, Colin Williams, Davood Bahami, Derek Elsworth, Eva Schill, Francois Cornet, George Danko, Gillian Foulger, Joe Moore, John McLennan, John Pritchett, Joshua Tarun, Robert Podgorney, Steve Bauer, Susan Petty, Thordur Runolfsson, Timothy Kneafsey, and Trenton Cladouhos.

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Workshop at Geothermal Resources Council AM Today

Conceptual Models of Geothermal Systems

Friday & Saturday, October 21 & 22

Sacramento Convention Center - Room 313                8am - 5pm

Speakers and coaches include: William Cumming, Independent Consultant; John Murphy, Geothermal Science; Glenn Melosh, Independent Consultant; Elisabeth Easley, Thermochem; Peter Stelling, Western Washington; University; Max Wilmarth, Geologica; Dick Benoit, Independent Consultant; Richard Gunderson, Chevron.

Best practice publications in the geothermal industry emphasize building geothermal resource conceptual models as the basis for well targeting and resource capacity assessments at all stages of exploration and development. This workshop is directed at geoscientists, engineers and managers who wish to better appreciate how conventional (non-EGS) geothermal conceptual models are constructed and how they are used to support resource decisions.

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Exhibitor at GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+

SPX Highlights Innovative Technologies at GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+ (News Release)

Visit Booth #303 to learn about the latest product and service offerings from SPX Cooling Technologies and SPX Heat Transfer

SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc., a full-line, full-service industry leader in the design and manufacture of evaporative and air-cooled heat exchangers, and sister company, SPX Heat Transfer, LLC will showcase several innovative technologies at the at the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+, October 23-26, 2016, at the Sacramento Convention Center. In Booth #303, SPX Cooling Technologies will feature two new Marley® cooling tower designs. SPX Heat Transfer will feature the Ecolaire® Advanced Direct Contact Condenser (ADCC). Aftermarket services and OEM components from both companies complete the offering.

Mexico: Interview With CEO of Grupo Dragón

A Mexican Look at Geothermal Energy (Renewable Energy Mexico)

In an excerpt from his exclusive interview with Mexico Energy Review 2017, José Pablo Fernández, CEO of Grupo Dragón shares part of the company’s experience as the first private entity exploiting geothermal energy in Mexico and migrating to the new regulatory scheme.  

Q: Grupo Dragón got the first private concession for a geothermal project in Mexico, how was your experience migrating to the new regulatory framework?

A: It is impossible to complete a geothermal project in less than five years as it requires large investments and long exploratory and drilling periods. The same situation happens in all countries with geothermal resources. It is not a challenge exclusive to Mexico. Our project has been operating for one year, meaning it was planned at least six years ago. Because of this, when we acquired our permits, the project was under the self-supply scheme from the previous regulatory framework. The old regulation required geothermal projects to have a water concession from CONAGUA, which was later transformed into a geothermal one. This transition period brought uncertainty to our project as it was not sure that our previously acquired permit would migrate to the new law. We managed to change our concession, which was fortunate as we already had made major investments. We bet strongly on geothermal as we considered it a promising and clean energy technology in spite of the risks involved, and all of this happened before the Energy Reform.

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USA: News from the Heat Pump Industry

Heat Exchange Industry News (Geothermal Exchange Organization)

The latest GEO Industry News is now available from the Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO).

Headlines and features in this month’s edition include:

• GEO Fly-In Seeks Parity with Solar
• Congress Must Act Fast to Prevent Geo Tax Increase
• Advocates Call on Gov. Cuomo to Sign New York Geo Tax Bill
• Virginia Geo Association Seeks Tax Credit Legislation
• GEO Board of Directors Welcomes Martin Forsén
• PLUS More Industry News and Announcements

The Geothermal Exchange Organization, a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association based in Springfield, Illinois, USA that advocates the environmental, energy efficiency and economic benefits of geothermal heat pump systems for heating and cooling applications in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings in the USA.

GEO Industry News (PDF)

USA, California: BLM Geothermal Lease Sale At GRC Annual Meeting

Elko land up for geothermal lease (Elko Daily)

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale Oct. 26 that includes several thousand acres in Elko and Lander counties.

The auction begins at 1 p.m. at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Sacramento towards the end of the GRC Annual meeting & GEA GeoExpo+.

BLM Nevada will offer 22 parcels totaling 46,976 acres of public lands and split estate in the Battle Mountain, Carson City, Elko and Winnemucca districts.

BLM California will offer two parcels totaling 3,495 acres of public lands and federal minerals within the El Centro Field Office.

BLM Utah will offer six parcels totaling 15,782 acres of public lands and split estate in the Fillmore and Cedar City field offices.

Geothermal leases are for a 10-year period. Annual rental for a competitive lease is $2 per acre for the first year, and $3 per acre for lease years 2-10. Annual rental for a noncompetitive lease is $1 per acre for lease years 1-10.

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USA: GTO To Launch Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies

Notice of Intent to Issue Funding Opportunity Announcement “Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies,” DE-FOA-0001601 (EERE/GTO)

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies.”

This Notice is issued so that interested parties are aware of EERE’s intention to issue DE-FOA-0001601: “Geothermal Deep Direct-Use Feasibility Studies” in the near term.

The Geothermal Technologies Office seeks to conduct feasibility studies of large-scale, low-temperature deep-well geothermal systems coupled with advanced direct-use applications and cascaded surface technologies whose applications will extend the reach of geothermal into geologically distinct parts of the country beyond the western U.S. These systems are referred to herein as Deep Direct-Use or DDU.

Notice_of_Intent_to_Issue_DE-FOA-0001601_Geothermal_Deep_Direct_Use_Feasibility_Studies

Canada: Alberta has 84,100 Inactive Oil & Gas Wells That Can be Transformed into Geothermal Wells

Putting Alberta’s idle wells to work could heat up the energy patch (Calgary Herald)

Tens of thousands of non-productive oil and gas wells scar Alberta’s landscape and their numbers are growing as the province’s brutal recession drags on.

The most recent count from the Alberta Energy Regulator shows there were 84,100 inactive wells in the province in September, which is up from 77,600 in March. Meanwhile, the number of orphaned wells in the province — wells for which there is no financially responsible company — has almost doubled during the same time period, rising to 1,285 from 698.

In November, work crews are scheduled to arrive at the Leduc No. 1 Energy Discovery Centre, a museum south of Edmonton that celebrates Alberta’s first oil boom, and begin capping, scrubbing and cleaning an old well bore so that it can be transformed into a geothermal well.

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USA, New York: How Geothermal Helped Transform the Environment and Economy of Iceland

By nixing coal, Iceland grabs green with geothermal heat (Cornell Chronicle)

Robert Barker/Cornell Marketing Group

As Cornell considers geothermal heat to warm its campus, Icelandic engineer Thorleikur Johannesson told the story of how his country abandoned coal and set standards to achieve blue-ribbon blue skies in an Oct. 16 visit to Cornell.

In his keynote talk, “The Potential of Geothermal Energy: Lessons From Iceland,” Johannesson showed images of a grungy, sooty Reykjavik shrouded in smog. By the late 1930s, Iceland was beginning to change from heating with coal to tapping into Earth’s natural hot water. Scuttling coal removed the grime from Icelandic streets and restored the beauty of the country’s azure skies.

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