Geothermal wells for emergency heating drilled in Suðurnes region, Iceland
Svartsengi geothermal power plant, Iceland (source: ThinkGeoEnergy)
Carlo Cariaga
18 Sep 2024
ISOR has advised on the drilling of wells for geothermal heating in the Suðurnes region, Iceland, should the Svartsengi plant fail due to volcanic activity.
Three wells have been drilled to supply heating to the Suðurnes / Southern Peninsula Region in Iceland should the Svartsengi plant fail due to continuous and persistent volcanic activity. These results were announced by Árni Magnússon, CEO of Iceland GeoSurvey (ISOR).
The drilling of three research wells in Miðnesheiði was started in February 2024 an emergency response when a pipeline from Svartsengi broke and cut off heating supply in Suðurnes. ISOR was hired by the government to do the exploration, and the locations of the wells were determined based on geological indicators, as well as hazards and proximity to existing infrastructure.
All three of the wells turned out useful, but one in particular yielded very positive results. The flowrate and heat from the well will be enough to supply heating to Suðurnes, even if Svartsengi is unable to provide any heating. Thus, the danger of not having any heating in Suðurnes has been averted.
According to Magnússon, further work will be done to evaluate the total size of the newly discovered geothermal resource. There will be more detailed measurements done on the drilled wells while work proceeds on preparing the pipes, pumps, and heat exchangers to utilize the wells.
“This is of course very satisfying, but also no matter how things develop, there will always be a use for this water and we have not stopped looking,” said Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate. “This is a priority for us, there had not been a geothermal exploration effort in this century. That’s why we lobbied for it, because this is indeed a good investment for the Icelandic people.”
There has been some work done in expanding the capacity of the Svartsengi geothermal pow plant with a new 22-MW Unit 7. There has been no word yet on the status of this effort in the face of volcanic activity.
Source: RUV.is
