Lopez-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has tapped San Francisco-based GreenFire Energy Inc. to perform a commercial retrofit that will restore and generate steam from an idle geothermal well in its Mahanagdong geothermal facility in Ormoc City, Leyte.
In a statement, GreenFire said that EDC’s idle geothermal well has not been usable due to the high level of non-condensable gases it produces when flowing. GreenFire’s heat mining system is expected correct this and meet its surface system pressure requirements once installed and commissioned in by the fourth quarter.
GreenFire said its data and experience gathered with the surface project are part of the collaborative efforts to evaluate the feasibility of using its GreenLoop technology in other opportunity wells of EDC.
“GreenFire GreenLoop is a patented, closed-loop geothermal energy system that generates power from geothermal resources where conventional geothermal systems cannot effectively operate, typically due to lack of permeability, water, or pressure,” part of the statement read.
“GreenLoop can retrofit unproductive or idle geothermal wells and run successfully at field-scale. It is estimated that over 20% of geothermal wells worldwide are unproductive from inception or due to degradation over time and it is further estimated that only 2% of the world’s geothermal resource can be profitably harvested with conventional technology,” the statement continued.
“We have been looking at GreenFire Energy’s closed-loop approach to geothermal for some time and are happy to see the progress. While we see potential for the technology in large greenfield projects too, we see the fast payback on well retrofits as the easiest way to start,” said Engr. Liberato Virata, EDC SVP and Head of Facilities Operations & Maintenance.
GreenFire and EDC are also working together to analyze other unproductive geothermal wells and less productive geothermal fields where the potential for using this technology will be of the greatest technical and economic benefit.
“Being able to generate steam from our idle geothermal wells that will enable us to supply more of that much needed clean, reliable, stable power that our country needs is all a part of fulfilling EDC’s mission to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future,” Virata added.
“We really appreciate EDC’s willingness to consider and implement new solutions to geothermal wells and resources that have excellent potential but with production issues that can’t be addressed by conventional technology. Many geothermal operators around the world have similar needs, but EDC is one of the most innovative so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to work with them,” GreenFire CEO Joseph Scherer said.
Photo from EDC/Think Geoenergy website.