Energy & Geoscience Institute partners with NETL in pursuit of enhanced geothermal systems

A recently announced partnership between the Energy & Geoscience Institute (EGI), U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO), and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) seeks to optimize and develop geothermal systems technologies to power the United States.

Operating under the umbrella of the Utah FORGE project, an underground field lab sponsored by DOE to develop, test, and hasten geothermal technology advances, this effort will focus on the potential of new, man-made geothermal reservoirs. Such reservoirs are made by injecting fluid into hot rocks, creating pathways, and allowing extraction of heat resources. FORGE is currently optimizing drilling, simulation techniques, flow testing, and subsurface imaging technologies needed to maintain continuous fluid flow and energy transfer from these operations.

“This is an exciting opportunity for NETL to apply its horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing knowledge from the oil and gas industry to EGS research, the advancement of which will play a vital role in America’s clean energy transition,” Scott Beautz, NETL petroleum engineer and project manager at the Utah FORGE project, said. “For example, new EGS plants can provide baseload power around the clock independent of weather conditions and with the flexibility to meet consumer demand. Geothermal energy presents an opportunity for sustainable baseload power for the country.”

While geothermal resources have long played a role in power sourcing, not all of these traditionally formed resources are useful in power generation. Some fail to contain enough water to extract heat, and others contain too few pathways to circulate water, prompting scientists to find methods around this. Under FORGE, they will continue to do so through at least 2024.

NETL will provide project management oversight of the project on behalf of GTO. Long-term, the partners seek research that will allow them to apply advanced drilling technology, pursue testing and identify pathways for EGS technologies that can be duplicated in the commercial realm.