Backed by a recent DOE grant of $21.45 million in Recovery Act funds, as well as $22.36 million from the AltaRock-Davenport partnership, the project will also benefit from research efforts of faculty and students at several universities, as well as scientists from DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and the U.S. Geological Survey. All project plans will be reviewed by DOE, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and Oregon State officials, and the agencies will issue permits only when satisfied that the Newberry project complies with strict standards.
The EGS process extracts heat from the Earth by creating a subsurface fracture system and circulating water through these fractures using deep well bores. Creating an EGS reservoir requires improving the natural permeability of rock by injecting water into the rock at high pressures. Once the reservoir is formed, water pumped into deep injection wells is heated by contact with the rock and returns to the surface through production wells, similar to conventional geothermal systems.
A 2007 study led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology estimated that with suitable investments and improvements to existing technology, EGS could supply up to 10% of U.S. electricity needs within 50 years, at prices competitive with fossil-fuel fired generation but with very low greenhouse gas emissions. See the AltaRock Energy press release (PDF 146 KB) and fact sheet (PDF 199 KB), as well as the description of EGS technologies from DOE's Geothermal Technologies Program and a description of the Newberry Volcano from the U.S. Forest Service. Download Adobe Reader.
A similar effort to create a commercial EGS power plant in Australia has hit setbacks. Geodynamics, Ltd. started drilling wells for an EGS system in South Australia's Cooper Basin in early 2003, but suffered through many drilling problems at its "Habanero" wells, which would supply a 1 MW power plant. In April 2009, as the project neared completion, a well blew because of hydrogen embrittlement of the high-strength steel used in the well.
This April, they decided to drill a 3-mile-deep well at its nearby "Jolokia" site, then return to the Habanero site to drill two new deeper wells than the now-abandoned existing wells. The company will then return to drilling at the Jolokia site. Geodynamics now hopes to begin producing power at the Habanero site by early 2012. See the Geodynamics press release (PDF 140 KB).
DOE, NERC Study Examines High-Impact Risks to the U.S. Power Grid
A report from DOE and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) examines three types of threats to the power grid: coordinated cyber and physical attacks; pandemics; and electromagnetic disturbances, including geomagnetic disturbances and electromagnetic pulses.
The 120-page report identifies 19 "Proposals for Action" directed to NERC, DOE, the electric industry, and nearly 15 government agencies and non-governmental organizations across North America. They highlight issues facing the electric sector, focusing on the need for more effective public-private partnerships, better information sharing, expanded research and development activities, and prioritized protection of key nodes on the system. See the NERC press release.
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EREE Network News is a weekly publication of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
