Matt Uddenberg, owner at Stravan Consulting LLC
Thermal Energy Partners (TEP) has provided details on their successful drilling efforts on the Island of Nevis. GeothermEx has confirmed that the resource drilled by TEP is economically viable and has the potential to supply market competitive power to island residents and industries.
Injection testing of TEP’s first exploration well demonstrated that the resource is highly permeable. TEP has not disclosed test results, but they reportedly indicate high injectivity, meaning very little pressure will be needed to inject water into the well. The high injectivity and productivity encountered by this exploration well mean that TEP can expect to flow and inject large amounts of geothermal brine from each well it drills, reducing the size and expense of the wellfield.
The reservoir temperature, at 492 °F (255 °C), is quite high compared to recently developed geothermal resources in the United States, where reservoir temperatures are typically 300 to 350 °F. At 492 °F, TEP will be able to build a steam turbine and capitalize on higher conversion efficiency.