Description (EN): In the SHEGST, partners will engage in collaborative research to increase the performance of near-commercial scale technologies and reduce the cost of power produced from Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). The research proposed within the SHEGST project is aimed at finding innovative solutions within reservoir creation that reduce well field development cost, resulting in increased technology performance and reduced cost of EGS projects. The successful implementation of the project will make the deployment of large scale EGS in Europe feasible and cost effective.
Objective(s) of the project
The objective of the project is to reduce the cost of the production of geothermal energy from EGS technology by developing innovative solutions within reservoir creation that reduce well field development costs, and make the deployment of large scale EGS in Europe feasible and cost effective.
The project’s objectives relate directly towards achieving EU’s energy and climate change targets by delivering a sustainable, competitive and secure renewable domestic energy supply. Moreover, it focuses on increased technology performance whilst decreasing the cost of EGS power production in Europe. Resulting in increased attractiveness for the European market, capturing a sizable part of the final renewable energy production.
Planned project activities including deadlines or duration
The SHEGST project is structured into seven work packages which address the entire EGS reservoir creation process: WP-1 Management, WP-2 Improved stimulation outcomes; WP-3 Stimulation pump system; WP-4 Assessment and monitoring of EGS stimulation; WP-5 Improved drilling cost; WP-6 Business case; WP-7 Dissemination.
The technical work packages are:
WP-2 (Improved stimulation) – Recently improved techniques designed specifically for hydraulically stimulating multiple zones within an EGS reservoir will be tested under field conditions.
WP-3 (Stimulation pump system) – An innovative stimulation pump solution will be designed, commissioned and tested in an operational environment by applying the system on the SHEGSDP reservoir.
WP-4 (Stimulation monitoring) – Software control algorithms and testing systems have been recently developed specific to EGS stimulation monitoring .
WP-5 (Improved drilling cost) – Recently developed new water hammer drilling technologies have been demonstrated to be able to reach 4 km depth at improved rates of penetration and reduced cost (TRL 6). Applying these technologies during SHEGST in an iteratively adaptive manner will improve their use and achieve TRL 7.
The non-technical work packages – management (WP-1), business case work (WP-6), and dissemination, publicity and knowledge transfer (WP-7) – complete the project to cover the whole value chain of the EGS reservoir creation process.
The overall project duration is 30 months. WP-1, Management will last through the whole 30 months. WP-2, Improved stimulation outcomes will follow the execution of the well stimulation of well 1 in the SHEGSDP and end in early 2017. WP-3 Stimulation pump system will follow WP-2 in duration. WP-4, Stimulation monitoring will finish in the middle of 2017 taking into account results of WP-2 and WP-3. WP-5 Improved drilling cost will coincide with the drilling of the second well of the SHEGSDP. Both WP-6, Business case and WP-7, Dissemination will be active through the whole project duration but with a sporadic activity rather than continuous.
Need and added value for Danube Region Strategy
The projects addresses directly the challenges the EU and the Danube region are facing today. Delivering sustainable, competitive and secure renewable domestic energy supply. Fostering the transition to low-carbon energy and contributing to renewable energy and climate change targets.
One of the aims of the SHEGSDP project is to instigate R&D and innovation activities on EGS creation in the Danube region. The project’s consortium is set up with a strong presence of regional entities to anchor the project to the Danube region and putting the Pannonian basin and the Danube Region in the forefront of EGS development in Europe. The strong international character of the consortium provides a unique window of opportunity to connect the region to an international, state of the art research cluster.
EGS technology is still in the development phase, its biggest hurdle being the high cost of development, and the fact that it has not been demonstrated under many different geological conditions. The objective the project is to reduce the cost of the production of geothermal energy from EGS technology by developing innovative solutions within reservoir creation that reduce well field development costs, and make the deployment of large scale EGS in Europe feasible and cost effective. The project focuses on opportunities for repeatability in the whole area marked by the Pannonian basin and facilitates deeper understanding of the bedrock in the Danube Region. If EGS can be developed with these improved technologies, the cost of power generation and heating will become cost competitive with other base load energy technologies such as coal and natural gas, without the Co2 emissions.
The supports the Danube region strategy, pillars 1 and 3, by encouraging more sustainable energy and by developing the knowledge society through research, education and information technologies and to invest in peoples and skills. Focusing on cleaner and more secure energy by developing cutting edge green-technology by exploiting the regions renewable energy sources.
Finally the projects has an added value for the Danube region geothermal concept by enhancing sustainable utilisation of geothermal energy in the region.
Transboundary impact
The project’s transboundary impact can be considerable. The projects finding’s applicable in the Pannonian basin as a whole. The project has high replica factor in the whole Pannonian basin in neighboring countries of the Danube region. Potentially bringing the region to the forefront of EGS development and research in Europe.
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