--> Abstract: Western Australia’s Geothermal Resources, by K. Ameed R. Ghori; #90078 (2008)

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Western Australia’s Geothermal Resources

K. Ameed R. Ghori
Geological Survey of Western Australia, Department of Industry and Resources, East Perth, WA, Australia

Western Australia is commencing a new era in the search of energy from geothermal resources. The study for a geothermal energy was initiated in the 1980s from hydrothermal resources and recognised low temperature reservoirs (65-85oC) at greater depths (2-3.5 km), with the best economic potential in the Perth Basin. The high temperature hydrothermal resources that are attractive geothermal energy targets in geologically active areas of the United States, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, and Italy are not found in tectonically stable Western Australia.

Thus the second study for geothermal energy in 2006 targeted hot rock resources that are currently economic, where the depth to 200oC is less than five km. Petroleum wells in parts of the Canning, Carnarvon, and Perth basins indicate two favourable factors for developing Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS), potentially high-heat generating granitic basements, and maximum horizontal stress orientations that are favourable for developing horizontally oriented high temperature geothermal reservoirs. The Carnarvon Basin has the greatest number of wells with high temperature gradients, followed by the Perth and Canning basins.

The extent and economic feasibility of hydrothermal and hot rock geothermal resources are presently unknown because studies were qualitative, rather than quantitative, and based on limited datasets. Data gathering, validating, and interpretation of greater than 1000 wells is underway for a quantitative assessment that requires systematic geological, hydrogeological, geophysical, and geochemical evaluation to further delineate and prove these resources.

The Australian continent has significant potential for geothermal energy from known high heat-producing granites, and Geodynamic Ltd is a leader of testing the commercial viability of extracting heat energy by EGS at the Habanero project in the Cooper Basin.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas