Slim is smart
“Why drill 150 mm when 120 mm will do?” That simple question sparked an ongoing discussion between Bruce and his son Ryan Gatherer. Bruce has spent more than 35 years…
Geothermal
From the shores of Lake Geneva to NEOM in Saudi
Nicolas de Varreux. “What are you doing?” Nicolas de Varreux asked his neighbour in Switzerland when a drilling rig rolled into his garden back in the summer of 2005. He…
If plans come to fruition, the Aarhus geothermal project in Denmark may almost deliver what was promised
The Aarhus geothermal project in Denmark, developed by Innargi, has been a flagship project since it was announced in 2022. One of the most differentiating things Innargi did in order…
World’s largest geothermal reserves?
By convention, geothermal reserves are normally reported as net recoverable energy – usually as Megawatts of electrical generating power (MWe) for a specified period of time – 30 years is…
Layer cake geology and a lack of grid access
A few years ago, I asked a seasoned wellsite geologist about the biggest subsurface surprise she had ever seen over her long career working on rigs. Rather than coming up…
A very expensive fart in the wind
Early December last year, Eavor announced the start of electricity production from their Geretsried deep closed-loop project in the south of Germany, near the village of Geretsried. As expected, it…
Where the earth yawns
I first visited Iceland a decade ago. Recently, I returned, courtesy of a European Geothermal Research project, hosted by Reykjavik Energy. We learned about heating and electricity production in Iceland,…
Denmark to embark on an innovative geothermal drilling project
Green Therma, in collaboration with Aalborg Forsyning (the local utility company), is currently preparing to drill a single well to deliver geothermal heat directly to Aalborg’s district heating network. While…
When the ESP breaks down even before geothermal energy production has started
Since its wells were drilled, I have kept a close eye on the United Downs geothermal project in Cornwall, southwest England. The production hole, a record-breaking well, was completed around…
Fracture connectivity and power laws
It was about a year ago that I heard about a deep geothermal drilling project in Finland (St1 Deep Heat Project), during which a couple of 6 km deep wells…
The hidden lithium treasure of South Australia
Despite receiving just 165 mm of rain annually, Coopers Creek flows year-round, an anomaly that has lured generations of explorers in pre-history to early European settlers. Exploration by geologist Reg…
Are deep closed-loop geothermal systems doomed?
“Claims of universal geographical scalability of Closed Loop Geothermal Systems (CLGS) in power generation at competitive prices are not supported by simulation results,” is what the authors conclude in a…