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Utah FORGE selects 17 groups for up to $46m in DOE funding

Utah FORGE selects 17 groups for up to $46m in DOE funding Rig on site of Utah FORGE project, Utah, U.S. (source: Utah FORGE)
Alexander Richter 24 Feb 2021

The Utah FORGE project to award $46 M for research in Enhanced Geothermal System development with 17 selectees chosen to enter negotiations in 5 topic areas.

The Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) at the University of Utah has announced the choice of 17 project selectee applications for negotiations for the FORGE Solicitation 2020-1. The selectees could receive a combined total of up to $46 M over the next 3 years.

The topic areas and the selectees include:

Topic 1 – Devices suitable for sectional (zonal) isolation along both cased and open-hole wellbores under geothermal conditions – entities selected:  Welltec, PetroQuip Energy Services, Colorado School of Mines

Topic 2 – Estimation of stress parameters – entities selected: Battelle Memorial Institute, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory,  University of Oklahoma

Topic 3 – Field-scale characterization of reservoir stimulation and evolution over time, including thermal, hydrological, mechanical, and chemical (THMC) effects – entities selected: Clemson University, Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Rice University

Topic 4 – Stimulation and configuration of the well(s) at Utah FORGE – entities selected: Fervo Energy Company, University of Texas at Austin

Topic 5 – Integrated Laboratory and Modeling studies of the interactions among THMC processes – entities selected: Pennsylvania State University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, US Geological Survey, University of Oklahoma, Purdue University

“There is enormous untapped potential for enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) to provide clean and reliable electricity generation throughout the United States,” said Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Science. “These investments in EGS research support President Biden’s mission to take on the climate crisis by pushing the frontiers of science and engineering and creating jobs in cutting-edge clean energy fields.”

Utah FORGE is a dedicated underground field laboratory sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office. It is working on developing, testing, and accelerating breakthroughs in EGS. Solicitation 2020-1 was the first formal call for research proposals on EGS technologies from the Utah FORGE Program. More information about Solicitation 2020-1 is available at https://utahforge.com/rd/solicitations/.

“Utah FORGE looks forward to collaborating closely with the scientists and engineers of the project teams on technologies that will promote commercialization of this inexhaustible and non-polluting energy source,” said Joseph Moore, Ph.D. and Principal Investigator of the Project. “We were impressed with the caliber of all of the applicants who submitted proposals and anticipate additional solicitations in the future.”

Geothermal energy technologies supported by DOE have enjoyed strong bipartisan congressional support. In 2020, Congress renewed and expanded its commitment to geothermal energy through funding for research, development, and demonstration projects through the Energy Act of 2020.

Source:  Utah FORGE  project by email, U.S. DOE