SHALLOW GEOTHERMAL IS BOOMING IN ICELAND
In contrast to drilling deep for geothermal energy, the geological risks for shallow geothermal are minor or even non-existent, as loops are based on conductive heat transfer and do not draw fluids from the subsurface. In Iceland, where even shallow geothermal projects tap into >100° C formations, the drilling of closed loops for single house developments is, therefore, a no-brainer. The demand for these loops is now such that drillers are booked up for more than two years in advance.
A SEISMIC SURVEY IN THE MOST “VOCAL” PART OF THE COUNTRY
Knowing how challenging it can be to perform any “out of the ordinary” activity in densely populated areas these days without people getting up in arms, it is interesting to see that a 3D seismic survey will soon be carried out in the heart of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Traditionally, the home of the wealthy and most vocal people in the country, let’s see how the response will be. The survey aims to better map the subsurface for geothermal exploitation. Amsterdam is the only place in the Netherlands with an extensive district heating network, which offers a great opportunity for geothermal energy production.
THE NEXT WELL TO WATCH IN URUGUAY
Uruguay is being looked at again by the majors, following the success in deep-water Namibian waters. Apache is likely to drill the next high-impact exploration well late next year, targeting a supposedly Cretaceous reservoir unit. TotalEnergies drilled the Raya-1 well in the same block before, but this well TD’d in the Oligocene after finding water-wet sands. The Apache well will be a costly one, given the water depth of approximately 3 km and a depth below the mudline of another 4 km.
MISSING DOCUMENTS
In 2017, an exploration well, Nutmeg-2, was drilled offshore Grenada, the island that shares its continental shelf boundaries with Trinidad and Venezuela. The well supposedly found indications of gas, even though it was not tested at the time, and not much seemed to have happened since. But recently, the hopes for another look at possible continued exploration were revived as the new energy minister from Trinidad expressed a wish to embark on this together with her neighbours. However, a small problem has now emerged when it comes to further analysing the Nutmeg-2 well data; the documents cannot be found… What is going on?
