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Testing at Mount Spurr project in Alaska not as successful as hoped for Ormat

Testing at Mount Spurr project in Alaska not as successful as hoped for Ormat Mount Spurr, Alaska (source: USGS, wikimedia commons)
Alexander Richter 23 Aug 2011

Initial test work done by Ormat Technologies at its Mount Spurr geothermal project site in Alaska, have proven not to be as successful as hoped. With only one of two wells drilled this summer, the project didn´t find the hot temperatures it hoped for.

This summer, Ormat Technologies has been doing test work on leases at Mount Spurr in Alaska. But it is now reported that this has been not as successful as hoped.

Equipment problems and difficult rock conditions made things difficult, and allowed the company only to drill one single well, instead of the two planned to be drilled this summer.

“Ormat spokesman Paul Thomsen also said the well also didn’t get as deep as they wanted, and that they weren’t impressed with the water temperatures they sampled.

“It doesn’t mean that the resource isn’t there, it just means that our first shot at finding it was not successful,” said Thomsen.

Ormat’s Spurr exploration camp has been demobilized for the summer. Thomsen said the company is now putting together a report, which it plans to present to the Alaska Energy Authority in the next few months.

Thomsen said Ormat expects to review its initial findings with the state before spending any more money on future drilling at Mount Spurr.

The State of Alaska is helping pay for Ormat’s exploration work — lawmakers committed millions of dollars to match the amount of money the company spends on the Spurr leases.”

Source: KTUU/ Alaska