Sharing of strategies highlights the importance of collaboration at the 1st PGC
Lauro Bayrante, VP of NGAP, at the 1st PGC closing ceremony (source: ThinkGeoEnergy)
Carlo Cariaga
3 Oct 2019
On top of an innovative mindset, the Philippine geothermal industry needs to leverage on collaboration to utilize their non-conventional resources
Developing non-conventional geothermal sources, such as low-enthalpy systems and resources with acidic fluids, is a task that requires smart strategies. At the 1st Philippine Geothermal Conference (PGC), representatives from top geothermal developers shared how they were able to handle problems in their production fields.
Experts also shared some of their research initiatives which may provide future opportunities for the use of non-conventional geothermal resources.
As shared by Fra Cinco from the Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc. (PGPC), the challenge of acidic fluids in the Bariis sector of the MakBan geothermal field was surmounted by identifying the acidic horizon and designing wells with a deep casing to tap into neutral and more productive fluids.
Erlindo Angcoy Jr. from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) also shared how their group used an analysis of fluid flow in the surface facilities and dosing of treatment chemicals to avert scaling and corrosion due to acidic fluids in the Mahanagdong Geothermal Field in Leyte.
These separate, but similar, problems is just one example of how “everyone is facing the same problems,” as described by Steve Vincent of JACOBS. He emphasized how the geothermal community needs to leverage their collective experience and work collaboratively to achieve meaningful results.
According to Lauro Bayrante, Vice-President of the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines, the 1st PGC came at just the perfect time. As the world faces a climate crisis, geothermal has the potential to play a key role as the clean and sustainable energy of the future. With the Philippine geothermal industry hitting a plateau in growth in the last several years, they will need to work together with local and international partners to come up with innovative solutions to their biggest problems.
