Reykjavik Energy (Orkuveitan) has signed an agreement with Iceland Drilling (Jarðboranir) for the drilling of the first exploration well in the third phase of the IDDP (Iceland Deep Drilling Project). With this milestone completed, the aim is to start drilling operations later this year.
“The signing of the agreement marks the beginning of one of the most ambitious research phases in the history of Icelandic geothermal exploitation,” says Hera Grímsdóttir, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Orkuveitan. “The IDDP-3 drilling is a key step in Orkuveitanu’s deep exploitation plan and we are delighted to have Jarðboranir as a partner.”
Development in this field has been ongoing in Iceland for more than a quarter of a century under the auspices of the Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP), in collaboration with Orkuveitan, Landsvirkjun, HS Orka, the National Energy Agency, the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate, as well as numerous domestic and foreign partners.
Two deep drilling wells have already been drilled within the project, laying an important foundation for the knowledge that is now being built on. IDDP-3 is the third phase of the project, and the first exploration well in that phase will be drilled at Nesjavellir. This drilling project previously received the highest grant awarded by the Icelandic Climate and Energy Fund, amounting to approximately EUR 2 million. A second research well will be drilled at the end of 2027, looking into deep reinjection into superhot systems.
Iceland’s research on superhot geothermal energy is also instrumental to the SuperHot geothermal – Integrated demonstration and Flow Testing (SHiFT) research consortium. This is an international collaboration with 17 domestic and foreign parties with the aim of testing and developing technologies to harness geothermal energy at temperatures exceeding 400 °C. The consortium had recently received a EUR 10 million grant from the EU Horizon Europe program and held its kick-off meeting in Larderello in Italy.
For more information on the history of the IDDP project and the plans for the IDDP-3 well drilling, check out this webinar recording from earlier this year featuring Sigurdur Markusson of Reykjavik Energy.
Source: Orkuveitan
